Trustee election enables alumni to cast their votes online

As this year’s trustee election comes to a close, the new electronic-voting option available for alumni this year presents few problems, Alumni Trustee Election Coordinator Shawny Taysom said.\nIU alumni who have at least earned an associate’s degree have the opportunity to choose three of the nine members for IU’s board of trustees. The Indiana governor appoints the other six, including a student trustee. Trustees serve three-year terms, while the student trustee only serves for two years. Because the terms rotate, elections are held every year.\nAlumni have a choice of either sending their ballots for candidates through the mail or through the IU Alumni Association Web site. The voting process started in May and will last until June 30, when the votes are counted, according to the trustee election Web site. The three candidates are incumbent Patrick Shoulders, Michigan consultant Sam Locke and Indiana attorney Kelly Smith.\nShoulders had some concerns with the online voting option. He said because of the unreliability of computers, hackers could find a way to access the site, and mistakes can easily happen. He was also concerned with offering alumni both the online option and the option of sending their ballots through mail – making it easy for alumni to vote twice.\n“I hope that they will be able to ensure the integrity of the voting process,” Shoulders said. \nBut Taysom said there is very little chance of mistakes happening. Each alumnus is identified through a special number code, she said, so if they vote both online and through mail, it can be detected. She also said the Web site is closely monitored so there is a small chance of hackers getting into the system. She explained that if alumni do experience an error while voting, they will automatically be contacted via phone and will be assisted with the problem so their vote can count.\nLocke said he was excited about the online voting process because he said not many alumni who graduated from IU recently are aware of the election. He said he hopes the online voting process has made it easier for alumni to be involved with the campus.\n“They need to be aware that they have a voice,” he said.\nTaysom said she hopes the online voting option will lower the cost of sending out paper ballots and will encourage more alumni to be involved in the annual trustee election.\n“We really hope that in the future, more people will respond,” she said. “We hope that people will start becoming more aware of the election.”\nNot only are younger alumni taking advantage of the online voting option, Taysom said, but also older alumni have reported no problems with the voting process.\nLocke said alumni want to be involved on campus, and making them aware that they can vote is important.\n“They invest a lot on this campus, and they want to have a say,” he said.