Student elections face low voter turnout

Procrastination is a daily part of student life. And student government elections are proving to be no exception, as disappointingly low voter turnout numbers show that a large number of students may have chosen to put off voting until the last minute. Voter turnout barely topped 10 percent as of yesterday, according to an e-mail sent to several Penn listservs by Undergraduate Assembly Chairman Michael Bassik, a College senior. Elections officially close today at 5 p.m. "At this point, based on voting trends from last year, voter turnout will likely be significantly lower than in recent years," Nominations and Elections Committee Chairman and Wharton senior Nick Goad said. The stakes are higher than usual during this year's elections, as the Undergraduate Assembly needs at least 20 percent of the student body to vote in order for its constitutional revisions referenda to even have a chance of passing. Some UA members believe that the overall lack of candidate campaigning this year constitutes part of the explanation for low voter turnout thus far. "I find it personally surprising in the wake of the presidential elections," UA member Evan Smith said. "Maybe it's just [because] of poor exposure as a result of low candidate advertising or low NEC advertising, but I find it rather inexplicable," the College freshman added. College junior and UA member Jed Gross agreed with Smith. "Students don't seem to be campaigning as much as we were working on actual initiatives during the year," Gross said. "There may not be a very strong push to get out the vote." Last year's turnout topped that of recent years, with about 30 percent of eligible Penn students voting. The 2000 student government elections were also the first elections to be held online through Penn InTouch. At the time, NEC members pointed to the accessibility of Penn InTouch as the reason for the increase in voter turnout. But in 1999, before Penn InTouch voting became available, only about 17 percent of eligible voters took the time to vote. Before Penn InTouch voting, students voted via paper ballots at one of four stations over a two-day period. This year, though the NEC has continued to run elections using Penn InTouch, low voter turnout has persisted. "This isn't abnormal," NEC Vice Chairwoman of Elections Anne Hankey said. "Normally, [voter turnout] peaks on the last day." Goad agreed with Hankey, saying, "We hope that last minute votes tonight and all day tomorrow until 5 p.m. will boost [voter turnout]." The NEC chairman also hopes "increased candidate activity and also additional publicity" will encourage students to vote. "I think the low voter turnout is very unfortunate," UA Vice Chairman and Engineering senior Malhar Saraiya said. "I really can't put a finger on why there isn't more participation by the undergraduate community." College junior and UA Secretary Dana Hork echoed Saraiya's sentiments. "There's no excuse not to vote when it's as easy as registering for a class," she said.