Online voting available

On Feb. 26 and 27 the IU Student Association will be electing new officials.\nThis year, IUSA has eliminated paper ballots in the election process and has moved to a singular online voting system. This new strategy will allow IUSA to save time and money, IUSA President Jake Oakman said.\nTheoretically, students can vote with more ease from anywhere on campus or anywhere in the world.\nJoe Walterman, IUSA Elections Coordinator, assures voters that plenty of opportunities will exist to meet the candidates. He also reinforces the convenience and security of the online voting process.\nIUSA is essentially the student government for IU and consists of 72 congressional members and a four member executive board. \n"IUSA serves to communicate student opinions to the administration on issues like tuition, the bus plan, school budgets, student fees, curriculum, athletics and pretty much anything else that comes up," Emily Kolles, IUSA treasurer, said.\nIUSA Chief of Staff Michael Katz likened the duty of IUSA to "getting the pulse of the student body" in order to enact legislation.\nCandidates for IUSA must be enrolled in at least one credit hour and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0. \nA typical campaign can cost executive council tickets up to $2,000 to cover the cost of materials for marketing strategies. \nThroughout the year, executive members are compensated for the costs of their campaign and other expenses through bi-weekly paychecks, Oakman said. Congressional candidates may spend up to $35 depending on their efforts but are not compensated.\nUpon election, candidates represent the opinions of their constituencies, which are members of residence halls, the greek system and other on or off campus residences. \nWhen voting, it is important to make sure that personal location information at the registrar's office is correct to ensure a member of a certain constituency is voting for their representative candidates, Walterman said. He also added that not all students on campus will vote, each vote holds more weight and influence in the election.\nKolles stresses the importance of voting on Feb. 26 or 27 because "students are given the right to vote and they should exercise that right."\nIUSA as a whole has no constituency, Oakman said. Every student is represented, so every student should vote.\n"Although IUSA may seem like an invisible organization, it exerts a lot of influence on the administration," Oakman said. "Everyday IUSA is doing something for students whether it is providing safety escorts or simply representation of student voices"