Initial voter tally signals high turnout

A tale of two elections:

n Last fall, 2,249 students voted in Michigan Student Assembly elections. As of 8:30 last night, 2,240 had voted during the first day of this fall's election.

n 1,362 students voted in last fall's LSA-Student Government elections. As of 8:30 last night, 1,127 had voted.

n Paper polling sites are open at Angell Hall and Pierpont Commons until 4 p.m. today. Voting is available online at www.umich.edu/~vote until midnight.

By Jeannie Baumann
Daily Staff Reporter

In one day, the voter turnout for this fall's Michigan Student Assembly elections for representatives has surpassed last year's total.

"Last fall, a total of 2,249 people voted for MSA elections, and this year 2,240 have voted in this election," MSA Election Director Mehul Madia, an LSA senior, said of the vote total as of 8:30 p.m. yesterday. The evening tally indicates that the number of voters would easily surpass last fall's total, Madia said.

"For last fall's LSA-(Student Government) elections, just 1,362 people voted over two days, and 1,127 have voted already voted.

"We're really pleased with voter turnout this fall. It has dramatically improved from last fall. If this pace continues, we could be hitting record levels for voter turnout for MSA elections," Madia said.

"The trend is that people are voting online," MSA Rep. Shari Katz said, who worked the polling site yesterday in Angell Hall. Since its start in winter 1997, online voting has almost entirely replaced paper polls.

LSA senior Tuve Floden said it is important for students to participate in student government. "If we don't cast our votes, our voices can't be represented," he said.

LSA sophomore Jeremy Wilkins, who voted in the Angell Hall paper polling site yesterday afternoon, said voting provides students greater influence over the direction of the assembly.

"I believe if you don't vote, then you don't have the right to criticize," he said.

Students also expressed their individual agendas in voting.

"I wanted to voice my opinion about certain issues on campus, such as affirmative action and the rise of tuition - things that affect all students," LSA junior Charmeece Miller said.

Floden, a former participant in Ultimate Frisbee through club sports, said he specifically wanted to vote in this election because of the ballot question. The question asks students if they favor a $0.25 increase in student fees for two semesters to start an endowment for club sports.

SNRE Rep. Mona Gupta also worked at a voting booth and said the assembly definitely had concerns about low

11-18-99