Editorial: Recommendations for a responsible election

Only 800 Portland State students voted in this year’s student government election. That is about 3 percent of a student body that numbers almost 27,000. That is also the lowest percentage of voter turnout in over a decade. 

It is problematic to have such a small sect of the population electing those who will represent Portland State students for the 2009-10 academic year.

Student government members are given a substantial amount of responsibility when elected, with some helping to define the tone of the student voice and others allocating millions of student fee dollars.

More students should be participating in electing these individuals. The only way for this to happen is to make comprehensive improvements to the process.

Instead of further criticizing the many groups that are to blame for this historically low turnout, including the Elections Board, ASPSU Executive Staff and candidates, we offer some of our suggestions to better the process. 

Hire the Elections Board in the summer
In the past, the ASPSU president has appointed the five-member Elections Board only a month or two in advance of the election. But since inadequate planning has been a recurring issue for this body, we advise putting members in place earlier.

Appointing E-Board members in the summer might be overdoing it a bit, though after the numerous mishaps this year it is necessary for next year.

Get candidates to declare earlier 
When candidates decide they are running for office last minute, it sets back the entire process, including spreading the word via media outlets, campaigning and preparing the ballot with candidate statements and photos.

Firm deadlines must be put in place to ensure it is known which candidates are running for each position, and those who are running must fully commit without backing out. 

Once it is clear who is running, then there is more time to campaign and the E-Board’s job of collecting candidate information becomes much easier. This has not happened in years past, which has negatively impacted the election. 

Bring voting to the classroom
Outside of those students who are enrolled in only online courses, nearly every student should be in a classroom for at least a couple hours per week. This presents the perfect opportunity for the ASPSU Elections Board to secure quite a few votes.

At the beginning of spring term, the E-Board should first speak with classes to notify them of voting in the upcoming election and of potentially running. Then during elections week, the E-Board should coordinate with professors to return to the classrooms with several laptops to give students another opportunity to vote. 

One place to get started is in University Studies classes. Those with mentor sessions provide a small-group setup with easy access to computers for each student, which would make voting quick and easy.

This process might require a few years of planning and implementation to be fully effective, however, it should be put into motion as early as next year.

This should provide members enough time to sufficiently plan and organize an election with thousands, instead of hundreds, of students casting a vote.

Establish more voting booths
For the majority of the days that polls were open this year there was a voting booth in the South Park Blocks. But that was evidently not enough, considering the turnout.

There should be at least three voting booths installed around campus next year, with possible locations including the Park Blocks, between Smith and Neuberger halls, and near the Portland State Bookstore.

Each voting booth should also be operated by at least three student government members that work diligently to encourage students to walk over to the booth and cast their ballot.

Make the voting Web address catchier
One of the primary reasons that many students fail to vote is that banweb.pdx.edu does not exactly roll off the tongue. Portland State students use the site for such functions as registering for classes or checking their financial aid status, but visits are few and far between.

If ASPSU secured a Web address like “PSUVote.edu” or “VoteASPSU.edu” that could be redirected to Banweb for next year’s election, it would be much easier to promote and would likely be easier for students to remember.