SA voting held online to increase turnout
Blackboard voting allows students to vote from dorms or home
Chris Welch
Issue date: 4/11/07 Section: News
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"It's so much more convenient for students who are on the run and can't vote at the tables," Student Association President Omar Lopez said.
Elections took to the web for the first time last spring. The belief was that a more convenient voting system could possibly lead to increased participation from students, both who live on campus and commute from home. The transition proved successful, as voter turnout was noticeably larger than previous elections that required students to fill out ballots in the Events and Athletics Center. This year could see similar results.
"I honestly think more people will vote with Blackboard," said Leah Costakis, a sophomore student at the college. "I know I'm more inclined to vote that way. It's just she much easier," Costakis said.
Online voting allows students to vote wherever and whenever they wish during the specified time period. Many view this as beneficial.
"It's very convenient," said Elissa MacDowell. "We can vote from the comfort of our rooms, which makes us much more likely to participate in the process. It doesn't interfere with our daily schedules," MacDowell said.
However, students also see problems with the technological voting method. Some mentioned difficulties they experience with the Blackboard service as a potential problem for the voting process.
"I can never use my Blackboard because of that Picture of the Day thing," said Andrea Copperwheat. a Communication Disorders major at Saint Rose. "It doesn't work, so how am I supposed to cast my vote? I never had a problem doing it the old fashioned way."
When the election period begins, each student will be provided with one opportunity to vote for the different Student Association executive positions. The seats being elected are President and Vice Presidential roles for Finance, Academic Activities, Special Interest Groups, Communications, and Social Activities. Each student may only vote once for each position. The results are automatically tallied, which eliminates the need to review ballots by hand and- also avoids any human error in counting the total votes.
Last year the online polling resulted in many new faces in the leading positions of Student Association. Omar Lopez was elected President, while Kyleen Davis, Aaron Girard, Jennifer Dunseith, and Michele Waite were chosen to occupy the various V.P. spots. Randy Hernandez retained his position of Vice President of Communications, but resigned earlier this year and was replaced by Schuyler Bull, who is a candidate for President in the upcoming elections.
According to their constitution, the purpose of the Student Association is "to represent, express, and execute the sentiment of The Student Body, in the best interest of The Student Body, to the faculty, administration, and Board of Trustees of The College of Saint Rose."
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