MSA bans personal computers for elections

It's a clear sign that when the walls of Angell Hall become more colorful than leaves covering the ground outside, Michigan Student Assembly election season has begun.

Changes to the assembly's election code, which governs elections practices in campaigning and voting, include the banning of personal computers for use as online polling sites.

"Online voting is where most of the voting will be now and in the future," MSA elections director Alex Hovan said. "We've realized that it's impossible for us to control every computing site on campus."

This year, three paper polling sites will be used for elections - a smaller number than in previous years, Hovan said.

"It wouldn't surprise me if all the paper sites are phased out in the next one to two years," Hovan said.

MSA began online voting during the winter '97 elections. Hovan said paper polling sites are useful because they remind people to vote. Polling sites will be in the Michigan Union basement, Pierpont Commons and Angell Hall Fishbowl area.

MSA took into consideration an election rule prohibiting candidates from being within 50 feet of a polling site when prohibiting the use of personal computers as polling sites, said Andrew Serowik, elections board member.

"If someone has a computer in their dorm room or house, people can be accused of being within 50 feet of a polling site and not even know it," Serowik said.

Unlike previous years, candidates are not restricted on campaign spending.

"Last year it was decided (the elections board) had to rely on people being honest," Hovan said.

Candidates were not required to submit expense reports to the board, Hovan said. A few of last year's candidates may have violated the spending limitations, he added.

"There was empirical evidence that some people spent a lot of money and didn't get elected," Hovan said.

Spending traditionally has not been a big problem on MSA, said Olga Savic, an MSA Rackham representative.

"A lot of it really depends on how much you're relying on money to get you elected and how much you're relying on grass roots campaigning," she said.

In addition to the candidates registered for the election by the Students' Party, Defend Affirmative Action Party and New Frontier Party, eight independent candidates also appear on the ballot for various seats.

Although the number of candidates is slightly lower than in past elections, "it's still three to one" competition for a seat as an LSA representative, Serowik said.

"Part of that you can (attribute) to parties that have run in the past not running this semester," Serowik said.

The Michigan Party, formerly a strong contender in MSA elections, did not register as a formal party for the fall election.

The fall election traditionally is smaller than the spring MSA election, when presidential and vice presidential tickets campaign for office.

11-12-98