Sarah Hirsch isn’t registered to vote in East Lansing.

But the finance senior said if there were no complications, she would want to be registered to vote here.

“I don’t want to change addresses because I change my address every year,” she said. “And my dad told me if I change addresses I’m not covered under his insurance.”

But with Monday being the deadline to register to vote in the city’s August primaries, Hirsch said it is important for residents, especially students, to have a say in the city’s decisions.

“(City council) makes all of the decisions that have to do with East Lansing,” she said. “We are members of the city and need to know the issues they are discussing.”

The primaries will be held Aug. 7, when residents will vote for four of the eight city council candidates to go on to the general election.

Residents who want to vote in the primaries must register by Monday at the Secretary of State, 440 E. Albert Ave., or at East Lansing City Hall, 410 Abbott Road. City Hall will be open until 8 p.m. that day to facilitate voter registration.

“We would like to see a lot of people come to register,” said Deputy City Clerk Ann McAuliffe. “With so many people running I would think it would be a moderate (voter) turnout.”

Those who register will also be able to vote for two county proposals. One is to restore the county’s fixed millage and the other is to renew the millage for a public transportation system for senior citizens and people with disabilities.

East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows said it is important for students and residents to register to vote in the primaries.

“If you don’t vote in the primary you may not find a candidate you like in the general election,” he said. “If you find a candidate you support, you should vote in the primaries so they have a better chance of moving on to the general election.”

Meadows said the percentage of residents who vote in the primaries is considerably lower than in the general election.

He also said students who don’t register because they think city council decisions don’t affect them are strongly mistaken.

“I think that is bogus,” he said. “Everything the city council does affects everyone who lives in the city or comes in contact with the city.

“If students sit down and think about it, it is probably more important for them to become registered to vote in East Lansing and have a say in what is going to happen to them in the next four or five years than to stay registered where mom and dad live.”

Hirsch agrees, saying she understands more of what is happening in East Lansing.

“In the past elections I had to vote on home stuff that I wasn’t clear on,” she said. “I didn’t make as well an informed vote as I could have here.”