MSA officials hope for large voter turnout

With the posts of president and vice president up for grabs and voting easier than ever due to online ballots, Michigan Student Assembly candidates are hoping this semester's elections will set new student participation records.

"We are expecting a higher turnout," said MSA Elections Director Rajeshri Gandhi, an Education senior. "The Web voting has really taken off. This year, I think there's some really good candidates, and they're going to spread the word."

This past fall, a record 12 percent of students voted in MSA elections. Voter turnout last winter was even higher at 15 percent, due largely to the fact that presidential elections traditionally have attracted more participation.

"I think the voter turnout for this election, from seeing the trend, will be consistent with the fall if not higher," said LSA-Student Government Rep. Albert Garcia, an LSA first-year student running for MSA vice president as an independent. With "the online voting being so publicized, students are going to find voting really convenient."

Business senior Nadia Estrada said she is not planning to vote because she's not familiar with the issues.

"I really don't know much about the candidates," Estrada said. "Since I don't spend much time on campus, I don't come into contact with the platforms."

Students said they had various reasons for voting in the past. Education senior Angela Bolden said voting gave her the right to complain.

"I'm the kind of person who doesn't feel they have the right to complain if I don't vote," Bolden said. "When I started to become more involved, things like that mattered more."

Several candidates said they do not believe advertising through posters and fliers increases voter turnout. What matters, they said, is building relationships with potential voters.

"I think postering is only the first step," said MSA Rep. Sarah Chopp, an LSA first-year student running for MSA vice-president with the Students' Party. "It's more about interpersonal skills. When you're honest with people, they take that to heart."

But postering does work sometimes. LSA first-year student Shannon Griffin said she is voting based on a poster she saw in Angell Hall.

"I was planning on voting because I was walking through Angell Hall and saw that this guy was going to try to get rid of the LSA foreign language requirement," Griffin said. "Before, I didn't care much about the elections."

Where and how to vote in MSA winter elections

03-13-98