Spring student govt. voting to go on-line

Beginning this spring, Penn students will be able to vote for their leaders on the Undergraduate Assembly from the comfort of their own rooms. In an attempt to simplify the voting process, the Nominations and Elections Committee will put student government elections on-line March 23. While in past elections students had to cast paper ballots at one of four voting stations around campus on one of two days to vote for UA representatives and Class Board officers, students will now elect student government representatives by logging onto a special NEC World Wide Web site. The site's address has not yet been determined. "By going on-line, we're increasing student awareness because [voting] is more accessible to students," said NEC Chairperson and Wharton senior Neha Champaneria. "[It also] frees up time and money for the NEC so we can focus on the election process." Upon visiting the NEC voting site, students can access candidates' statements, pictures and Web sites. To vote, students log on with their PennNet ID and Social Security number to guarantee security. The appropriate ballot -- according to school and class -- will automatically be sent to the student. Results will be tabulated at least once a day, although they will not be released until after the one-week voting period is over. NEC members said the Web site is secure and will prevent computer hackers from abusing the system. "Security measures are in place so students can't vote more than once and they can't vote for too many candidates," said Vice Chairperson of Elections and College junior Christine Naselaris, adding that a student's ballot will be returned if it is not filled out properly. Increased access to candidates' statements will allow students to make more informed decisions, NEC members said. "Before, [when candidates had only a 500-word statement in The Daily Pennsylvanian], it seemed more of a contest of who could make a funnier statement," Naselaris said. "[The statements] were pretty meaningless." NEC members said one of their primary goals this year is to increase voter awareness and activity. "Even if we have the same voter turnout [as last year], if people knew more when they voted, I would consider [on-line voting] successful," Champaneria said. Voter turnout at last year's elections was about 33 percent. The voting site was developed by Information Systems and Computing -- part of the University's computer support services -- and the program will be run on its server. The initial programming cost the NEC approximately $2,000 and additional maintenance costs are expected to be minimal, Naselaris said. Students will be able to access the site from any computer terminal with Internet access by clicking on the "students" link on the Penn Web site, which will directly link them to on-line voting from March 23 through March 29. Limited paper polling will be available on March 29 for all students who experience technical difficulties. To publicize on-line elections, NEC will host a "Get Out The Vote" event March 23, tentatively scheduled for College Green, where candidates will have the opportunity to speak amid free food and entertainment.