LAUREN GOTTLIEB

The PAC-Olin Computer Lab, a hot-spot for paper writing, may be used to vote in future WSA elections.

By Edna Togba
Contributing Writer

Students may soon be able to vote by computer. The Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) wants to discard its current paper balloting method in favor of a new online voting system for the upcoming elections.

"We think that the online system will be more efficient, and we expect a higher voter turnout," said WSA President Alua Arthur ’00.

Chair of the Finance and Facilities Committee Andrew Calica ’01 said he was concerned with the low percentage of voter turnout during last year’s elections and that he contacted other universities in hopes of finding a remedy.

"I found out that people at other universities used online voting and their voting percentage increased ...," Calica said.

Approximately 43 percent of frosh and 14 percent of upperclassmen voted in the WSA elections this fall.

"We would rather have a higher quality of votes than just a higher quantity of votes," said WSA Coordinator Adam Zeller ’00. "Online voting creates more informed voting."

Students will be able to log in to the voting website with their email username and password anywhere on campus. Once logged in, students will have access to photographs and statements of the candidates.

By keeping track of the students who log in and cast votes, the computer will prohibit any student from voting more than once. Also, the system will recognize a student’s class year and will allow him or her to vote for certain candidates accordingly. The computer voting system will also calculate the votes.

Some students argued that a completely computerized voting process could pose new problems.

"You can’t just have the option of going to the computer," said Gwendolyn Guarino ’01. "Some people don’t check their email. There should be an option of going to the campus center as well as going to the website to vote."

Calica explained that the WSA could not have a ballot box and online voting at the same time because there would be no way to prevent a student from voting twice.

"My concern is that there’ll be a lower voter turnout. You have to make the effort to go to the website as opposed to seeing people in front of the campus center," Zeller said.

"It’ll be easier to just go online and vote instead of being mauled in front of the campus center by WSA members," Radhika Singh ’02 disagreed. "More people would probably vote."

Joshua Shorr ’01, a member of the Student Budget Committee (SBC), said the WSA hired Dylan Reilly ’00 to create the program that will implement the system. Reilly constructed the voting website using a computer programming language called PERL.

The WSA constitution currently states that all voting must take place in front of the campus center or Mocon. Amendments to the body of the constitution must go through referendum and be voted on by the entire student body.

However, because this voting provision is a bylaw and not in the body of the constitution, it can be amended by a two-thirds majority of the WSA.

Calica said that he is not sure exactly when the WSA will vote on the amendment.

"The target is to have the online voting, if we want it, for the SBC elections in November," Calica said.

Zeller said he is certain WSA members will pass the amendment to the bylaws.

The website will then be used for votes on referendums as well as candidates, Shorr explained. The site will include explanations of referendum items and candidate information, depending on what type of vote is taking place.

Some WSA members think online referendum voting will help pass more legislature through the student body.

"Last year, students voted some things down that should’ve passed because they didn’t know enough about them and it seemed complicated," Shorr said.

The WSA encourages students’ comments and suggestions on the website, which is located at http://www.wesleyan.edu/wsa/voting/.