BY MATT BLEIMAN

In print | December 6, 2007

Complications in the setup of the online ballot led Student Council to make modifications and restart the election a few hours after it initially began. The online site campus-vote.com was also used for last semester’s election, but miscommunications when setting up the ballot this semester led to a lack of the “None of the Above” and “No Preference” options on the ballot.

Student Council Vice-President Sam Asarnow ’08 said that the problem was quickly discovered and resolved. “A number of students e-mailed us to inform us of the problem,” said Asarnow. “We had to contact campus-vote.com and they were fabulous. They were really helpful and agreed to redo the ballot for a very small fee.”

However, Student Council had to appeal to the Student Budget Committee for the necessary supplementary funds. “We asked them for funding, and they agreed without any problems,” Asarnow said.

ITS is paying for the elections this semester and next semester to ease the transition period from ITS-controlled elections to third-party-controlled elections. The Student Council and Student Budget Committee will only have to pay for the cost of redoing the ballot.

Vice-Presidential candidate Romane Paul ‘10 was disappointed that the mistake may have confused voters. "Swarthmore students are busy and can’t always read through long e-mails completely and some who already voted may have gotten confused," he said. Despite his frustration, Paul said that he is comfortable with the election process.

In addition to its use for running the elections, the Internet has also provided candidates with a means for communicating with the student body. Paul decided to use YouTube and Facebook as core parts of his election campaign. Paul believes that the Internet is a great way to express his views on issues that cannot be fully expressed during minute long speeches at debates. The result has been very positive. “295 people have watched the [YouTube] video, which was significant,” Paul said. “This is the first time a candidate has used an Internet video and people have actually watched.” Overall, the Student Council is very happy with the new online ballots. “We got feedback about the benefits of online voting for students abroad and students who do not eat at Sharples,” said Student Council President Peter Gardner ’08. “We are very satisfied with the system.” Campus-vote.com is a third-party system, so it is more difficult to hack, and they also send out e-mails and reminders to students who have not voted. “It is well worth the price,” Gardner said.

The revised online voting took place from Sunday, Dec. 2 to Tuesday, Dec. 4 and voting in Sharples was held Wednesday Dec. 5 and will continue today. Results will be announced by e-mail no later than 11:59 p.m. tonight.

« RETURN TO NEWS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »