Choosing your ticket

Beginning at 12:01 a.m. this morning and running through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, students will be able to vote in the IU Student Association elections. The election will determine the next leaders of the student body. Unfortunately, because of a lack of awareness or plain apathy, many students choose not to exercise this right, a problem IUSA is working to correct, IUSA election commissioner Leah Silverthorn said.\nSilverthorn noted that last year's election's turnout was impressive compared to previous, but efforts are being made to keep it that way. \nPart of increasing voter turnout is by making it easier for students to vote by making it online, Silverthorn said.\nStudents can voice their opinions by logging on to www.indiana.edu/~iusa/ and clicking the election link to vote for the presidential ticket of their choice -- Action, Crimson or Unity.\nStill many students have no idea how to vote.\n"I don't even know where to vote," freshman Jennifer Giancola said. "So, I'm not going to vote, since I don't know anything about it."\nIUSA Treasurer Blair Greenberg said voting may be complicated. For students living off campus, they must log on to IU's virtual private network before voting. University Information Technology Services changed the voting procedures as a method of increasing security for the University. In order to sign on to the VPN students must log on to www.kb.indiana.edu/ and then search for the virtual private network to find instructions for signing on with your computing system.\nGreenberg said this may cause a decrease in voter turnout, but "not so much as to decide the winner."\nSome students say they haven't heard anything about the candidates, despite televised commercials, fliers scattered throughout campus and candidates hitting the streets to get the vote out.\n"I haven't even heard anything about the candidates or what they're about," freshman Julie Halm said. \nIn order to increase awareness, IUSA ran advertisements in the Indiana Daily Student, but Silverthorn said most of the responsibility falls on the candidates to educate the student body.\nThose that do know about the election said they did not find out about it through fliers or advertising, but from simple word of mouth. \n"I heard a little on the campaign from people in my classes," senior Malachi Waples said. "I heard mostly about the candidates just from student to student interaction."\nStill many students choose not to vote because they feel that none of the candidates they can choose from will accurately represent them.\n"I don't feel like it really affects me," senior Andrew Cook said. "Most of the IUSA members are from the greek community and they don't really care about anything else but fraternities."\nCook said he feels IUSA should handle issues more pertinent to the entire student body.\n"I wish they would care about issues that are more important than which parties will be busted, such as their stance on the war and issues like that," Cook said.\nYet, some students still choose to vote, even if they don't agree with IUSA, in order to enact change.\n"I think people should vote because it gives students the opportunity to have a say in how they are represented in student government and what kinds of things are accomplished," Waples said.\nSilverthorn said she feels that although not every student participates in IUSA elections, those that are aware of the event, seem to be generally enthusiastic.\n"The people I've talked to are really excited about it," she said. "It's just a great way for students to come together to discuss what they would like to see done."\nStudents may also vote for their party of choice on each ticket's Web site, www.actionforiusa.com, www.votecrimson.com, and www.myiu.com.