Candidates continue publicizing vote

One year ago, candidates for Michigan Student Assembly were seen on the Diag dressed in costumes and using a microphone to encourage students to vote.

But this year, candidates campaigning on the first day of the assembly's election steered away from gimmicks and focused more on the issues.

Their efforts may have paid off.

MSA Election Director Rajeshri Gandhi said that as of 8 p.m. yesterday 2,650 students had voted. The number of students who voted online is already at least half of the total number of students who voted in last year's presidential elections.

"I can assume that our (overall) percentage is going to go up this year," Gandhi said. "I think people are becoming more familiar with the whole process."

Members of the Defend Affirmative Action Party publicized plans to protest a speech last night by former University of California Regent Ward Connerly, who was instrumental in banning affirmative action in the state of California. Members of the party, whose platform centers around the defense of affirmative action at the University, said these types of actions demonstrate how the party is matching its ideas with actions.

"It's more important to say what we stand for," said LSA sophomore Shaba Andrich, who is running for an LSA seat on the assembly with the Defend Affirmative Action party. "MSA elections shouldn't be a popularity contest."

Members of the Students' Party handed out free slices of pizza to entice potential voters, as they did last year.

"This is a good way to grab attention," said Jeff Harris, a Students' Party candidate who is running for a seat on LSA-SG.

Along the same lines, Students' Party presidential candidate Trent Thompson said he campaigned today by asking students what they thought about the campaign issues.

"I think we're really getting out to a lot of students," said Thompson, an LSA representative, adding that while he may not be reaching the maximum number of students possible, his conversations with individuals have been more in-depth.

Many candidates said they are optimistic that the one-on-one connections they are making with students will lead to more informed voters.

"I think voter education will increase," said Ryan Friedrichs, an independent candidate for MSA president.

Friedrichs, an LSA junior and current MSA representative, said this year's election is his third, and he has received more positive feedback from this election than from past elections in which he ran successfully for a seat on the assembly.

Friedrichs credits many of these sentiments from students to the availability of online voting, which began last year.

Online voting is "very slowly starting to fundamentally change how the process happens," Friedrichs said.

Mehul Madia, a Michigan Party representative who is running for re-election, said that although the rainy weather put a damper on the day, meeting with students attracts voters and hopefully increases voter turnout.

"It's more effective than campaign posters and Diag boards," said Madia, an LSA sophomore.

Also emphasizing the power of the voter-candidate connection, independent vice-presidential candidate Nick Pavlis said that giving students personal attention is key to effective campaigning.

"That's definitely the best way to do it," said Pavlis, an LSA junior. "The flyers - you have to do it because everyone else does - but the word of mouth is probably one of the most important things."

Some candidates said many voters' already have made up their minds.

"I think by now, students have pretty much decided who they're going to vote for," said New Frontier presidential candidate Elizabeth Keslacy.

Online voting can be accessed at http://www.umich.edu/~vote.

03-19-98