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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

IUSA amends election code to reduce voter bias at polls

The IU Student Association Congress passed a resolution Sunday night to alter the election code to increase voter turnout and reduce bias at the polling stations, said Vice President of Congress Scott Borer.

Currently, representatives from the tickets run the voter polling booths and are allowed to advertise their ticket directly at the polling locations.

However, Resolution 39 dictates that the polling stations on campus will now be run by the Election Commission instead of the ticket representatives.

Members of the different tickets will have to stand at least 300 feet from the polling location to distribute and market their information. 

The Election Commission will provide materials to inform voters at voting locations but will not provide an opinion on which ticket to vote for at the polling location. 

Borer said this distance between the tickets and voters should reduce voter bias at the polls.

“The people who work at these polling stations are pretty pushy when people walk by,” Borer said.

The Election Commission will be housed under the Judicial Branch of IUSA, to which members must be appointed and not elected.

They will not be housed within the Executive Branch anymore “to avoid a conflict of interest with elected members of the organization,” according to the resolution.

A minimum of five polling locations will be staffed by the Election Commission on campus.

The resolution also includes a student body-wide email that will be sent out when the polls open to inform students that online voting is up and running.

This email will include a blurb on each ticket informing the voters of each party’s platform.  

Borer said he hopes providing students with a link to the site and the information will increase voter turnout.

Resolution 39 also dictates that dates for the next year’s election will be set at the end of the prior administration’s term instead of a few months in advance of the
elections.

Election Commissioner Jared Thomas said this was in reference to this year’s election, when the opposing team dropped because they felt PLUS had more time to
organize.

“Because of the incumbent ticket being involved in IUSA, they know there are going to be elections a year in advance,” Thomas said. “By setting the dates in advance, it’ll give everyone else a little bit more time to prepare.”

Borer said only one member of Congress voted against the resolution.

At the Congress meeting regarding the bill, Borer said some members expressed a concern that if students are approached 300 feet from the polling station, they will try to avoid the voting station instead of participating.

“Even if voter turnout does decrease, it’ll be worth it in the sense that the votes coming in are informed votes,” Borer said.

Follow reporter Dani Castonzo on Twitter @Dani_Castonzo.

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