Students were able to enjoy music, eat cotton candy and play games during the Election Carnival hosted by Associated Students, Inc. on Wednesday, April 20.

Online voting kicked-off Tuesday morning, and the polling booths on campus opened today. ASI is hoping to inform students about the elections and increase voter participation from last year with the carnival.

“We’re trying to promote ASI elections,” said Heather Henry, ASI events coordinator. “Just to get students out, to get them voting [and] to get them more knowledgeable about student elections.”

Volunteers in the Library Quad encouraged students who walked by to join the various activities and to vote. The activities included airbrush tattoos, photo booths, and cartoon drawings.

“The emphasis [on voting] is there,” freshman philosophy major Zehra Bokhari said. “This event makes [the elections] more obvious.”

Students were able to vote at the two polling booths on campus – one in front of the University Union and the other in front of Riverfront Center.

“There’s been a lot of participation,” Macy Hedrick, a volunteer at the polling booth in front of the Union, said. “As classes get out, every hour or so, we get a big rush of people. Sometimes it’s slow, and sometimes it really picks up.”

The polling booth at Riverfront Center did not experience as much traffic. According to Kevin Maples, the elections coordinator working, the computers were experiencing some issues due to slow Wi-Fi.

Although students enjoyed the carnival, some were not sure how much it would really help students understand the importance of the elections and voting.

“[The carnival] is fun. It helps students vote, but some students don’t really know,” senior gerontology major Aubrey Villote said. “They just vote to get something. There’s pros and cons.”

The polls will close Thursday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. Afterwards, ASI will announce the winners of the election at the Election Results Party in the Harper Alumni Center.