ELECTION '96 The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 5, 1996 -9 tudent vote split between five City Council wards By Jeffrey Kosseff Daily Staff Reporter 0 When students vote for City Council members today, some say their votes will not have great impact. Ann Arbor is divided into five pie- shaped wards that begin in the center of the city and radiate outward, distributing University students into all the wards. "Among the five wards, student vot- ers are dispersed mostly evenly," said Deputy City Clerk Yvonne Carl. "However, the 5th Ward has fewer stu- nts proportionally." Some say this even dispersion means there are low percentages of students in every ward, weakening the student impact. "I don't think the students are given an equal voice in the city government of Ann Arbor," said Nicholas Kirk, president of the campus College Republicans. "The best answer for students would be to switch to an at- rge vote. The top vote-getters in the city would get the City Council seats, and students would have more of a voice." An at-large election would eliminate the ward divisions, and instead the top vote-getters in the city would win coun- cil seats. But some local politicians do not agree with the idea of an at-large election. "If the vote was at large, people would not have a specific member to call if they had a problem," said Christopher Kolb (D-5th Ward), City Council member and Democratic may- oral candidate. "I support the ward sys- tem. It allows citizens to focus on two members of council if they have any concerns." Councilmember Jane Lumm (R-2nd Ward) agreed that an at-large election is not a viable alternative. "I am not sure it would work well if we had an at-large election," Lumm said. "In terms of practicality, it is good to become familiar with your con- stituents." However, Lumm said the wards should be redrawn to give students more influence. "I think we should look at creating a ward that encompasses the area where the vast majority of students reside;" Lumm said. "Students' voices are dispersed, and to concentrate that voice would be most beneficial to stu- dents." Mayor Ingrid Sheldon said that while there are some positives in an at-large election, she believes students currently affect the city elections in the ward system. "From my perspective, students have a tremendous impact," Sheldon said. "Historically, the ward system was cre- ated to be pie-shaped to reflect the diverse population of the city." City Council member Jean Carlberg (D- 3rd Ward) agreed that students can affect the elections in a ward system. "Some wards have more students than others," Carlberg said. "However, students can make a difference if they choose to vote." Probir Mehta, vice president of the Michigan Student Assembly, compared the equal division of student voters to gerrymandering district lines in the South to decrease the effect of black voters. "I'm not sure if it's intentional, but the City Council should be more cog- nizant of student voters;" Mehta said. "It's a valid view to say students' views are diluted." If the City Council decided to redraw the wards, they would not be able to until the next census in the year 2000, Kolb said. Jevin Romney make final campaign stops in state LANSING (AP) - Democratic incumbent Carl Levin and Republican challenger Ronna Romney flew from city to city yesterday, making one more peal to voters for support in their bat- e for the U.S. Senate. Their appeals took them from the Detroit area across the state to Grand Rapids. But candidates with more local races also were busy knocking on doors, stopping at plant gates and shaking hands in diners to pull in more votes. Voters heading to the polls today were barraged yesterday with campaign ads 5nd calls urging them to vote. * In Lansing, Levin told a crowd of about 50 volunteers to keep working right up until the polls close today to help Democrats all down the ticket, even though polls have shown him with a wide lead over Romney. "That turnout, that last vote, is absolutely criti- sr