Officials: Student voter turnout growing

More are voting in student elections this year than last, elections officials say, but they add that turnout still has a long way to go.

About 25 percent of students had voted as of yesterday, the fourth day of voting. Elections run through Sunday.

This represents an increase over the percentage of students who had cast their votes at the same point in last year's elections, Wharton senior and Nominations and Elections Committee vice-Chairman Eli Hoffman said.

At the end of the election cycle last spring, 33 percent of students voted.

"At this juncture, we're ahead of last year," Hoffman said, though "it's still not as high as we'd like it to be."

Sixty-two students, 38 of whom are incumbents, are running for 51 available Undergraduate Assembly and class board positions.

To encourage voter turnout, the NEC hosted a get-out-the-vote event Wednesday that was designed to give students a chance to meet this year's candidates. The event also featured food and student groups who performance on College Green.

Voting ends Sunday at 5 p.m. on Penn InTouch.

Candidates are also using a variety of strategies to get students thinking about election week.

"The interest is there, but people are busy," College freshman and Class of 2009 presidential candidate Brett Perlmutter said.

Perlmutter created a Web site as part of his campaign with College freshman and Class of 2009 vice presidential candidate Anthony Maggio.

The site has received 1,600 hits since the beginning of campaigning, they said.

"It's so easy for people to go on for a couple seconds and check out some pictures and our platform," Maggio said.

He also noted that the site is a cheap way to get name recognition.

Because of NEC regulations, candidates aren't allowed to spend more than $50 on campaigning.

Perlmutter and Maggio's campaign posters include a picture of the pair in a bed together with laptops and cell phones. The candidates say the picture is supposed to embody their desire to work for the Class of 2009.

"When people see a picture of the both of us in bed together, it's eye-catching and funny," Perlmutter said.

Hoffman has been impressed by the creativity of candidates in campaigning this year, citing the increased use of Facebook.com advertisements in addition to the posters that blanket Locust Walk each election season.

Many students who have already voted said they based their votes on informed decisions rather than randomly choosing names.

College freshman Meredith Fineman, however, said she only knew one person on the ballot and based the rest of her votes on endorsements by friends.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.