Candidates register with IUSA

Students looking to exercise their right to vote in this November's U.S. presidential election will get a dry-run this Spring.\nThe IU Student Association election commission kicked off its annual election season Wednesday night at Woodburn Hall as potential candidates met with Election Coordinator Derek Molter for information on how to declare their candidacy for the 60 positions available in the 2004-2005 student government.\n"From the first few days you get on campus, it doesn't take long before you start seeing things you think could be done a bit better," Molter said. "That's what might drive a lot of (candidates)."\nThe five-week election process culminates Feb. 24, when student voters can log on to the student government Web site and cast their ballots.\nThis year brings extensive renovations to the elections code, aimed at boosting voter turnout by promoting convenience and fairness during elections. Efforts by University Information Technology Services to revamp the online voting system will allow off-campus students to vote via the Web site, said Grant McFann, IUSA vice president.\nThe new code also sets clearer definitions of campaign violations.\n"There shouldn't be as much contesting (election results) as there has been in recent years," McFann said. "That really brought down the whole organization."\nAnd students need not fear for their sleep the night before elections this year. Molter said the new election code will prevent campaigners from bursting into dormitories at midnight. Voting will now begin at 10 a.m. and last until 10 p.m. the following day.\nThough the campus may not show visual signs of an elaborate campaign process yet, candidates begin mapping out strategies weeks in advance. \nStarting in late January, scores of students will launch all-out campaigns to convince students to vote for them.\nVoting is in their best interest, Molter said, especially since IUSA is in charge of delegating $200,000 in student fees.\n"Once students start to get interested, great things will come out of that," he said, citing the IUSA book exchange recently implemented. "If the administration believes that students are behind the student government, they'll really listen to what students want."\nIf money and beneficial programs don't do the trick, voters can expect candidates to give them plenty of material incentives. In the past, campaigners sporting their party's T-shirts have handed out hot chocolate at bus stops and positioned kegs of root beer strategically around campus, Molter said.\n"It's a very competitive process," IUSA President Casey Cox said. "It's not easy to get elected on a campus of 38,000 students."\nMcFann said the organizational aspects of running such a campaign can be daunting. Positioning campaigners to vie for votes around campus presents logistical difficulties.\n"It's kind of like playing 'Risk,'" he said. "My cell phone bill was enormous. It's kind of a tradition that you don't sleep during the election." \nThe long hours and stress were worth it for Cox, though.\n"This has been one of the most amazing leadership experiences I've ever encountered," he said. "It's made my college experience whole. The people you meet (make it) absolutely worth it. I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world."\nThe elections will fill positions on both the executive and the legislative level. The IUSA Congress contains representatives from each school as well as senators from various off- and on-campus housing districts.\n-- Contact staff writer Mike McElroy at mmcelroy@indiana.edu.