Bill Kinney is not running for office but he sure would like your vote, nonetheless.

The I.J. Holton Intermediate School science teacher is seeking a “Thank America’s Teachers” program grant of $2,500 that will help establish more Wi-Fi hotspots for students who may not have access to the Internet. The grant application period ends Oct. 31, and success is based on votes cast on the grant website.

A story in the Austin Daily Herald gave Kinney the idea when he read how popular the hotspots were at the Austin Public Library. He found many students knew about the hotspots but said that they were usually all checked out with a long waiting list.

The students at I.J. Holton all have laptops, but some parents have no Wi-Fi access at their home, so students cannot utilize the laptops at home without the hotspots.

“This has been a problem for us, especially when we do larger projects that require out of school research or online work,” Kinney wrote in an email to the Herald. “The science fair projects are an example of this type of project. This is a problem for a number of schools throughout the country. I decided to submit a grant to acquire a number of hotspots and funding for service.

“I am looking to close another gap between our families that can afford Wi-Fi and those that cannot. We plan to check the hotspots out in a similar fashion to checking out a library book.”

Kinney noted that the funding will only go to the service and hotspots; he does not receive any funding personally.

To vote in support of the grant, anyone of any age can vote, once a day, if you have an email account.

How to vote

1. Go to https://www.farmers.com/thank-americas-teachers/vote-for-a-teacher/vote-for-a-proposal-form/

2. Search either by entering “Kinney” or by entering “Austin” in the city box and selecting Minnesota from the drop down list.

3. Click on the proposal.

4. Enter your email address.  Farmers Insurance has promised not to pester people with sales emails.

5. A confirmation email is then sent to your inbox.

6. You have to open that email and click on a verification link to finalize your vote.