The Badger Herald

OPINION & EDITORIAL

ASM: Vote early, vote often

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Also by Badger Herald Editorial Board:

A security fee-for-all (December 11, 2007)
Farewell, Chancellor (December 10, 2007)
$$FC (December 6, 2007)
In a bind (December 5, 2007)
Entitlement Town (December 4, 2007)

by Badger Herald Editorial Board

Thursday, April 6, 2006

The election of candidates and ballot initiatives generally go hand in hand.

When Madisonians went to the polls yesterday, they voted for and against candidates running for various political offices and also voiced their opinions on the war referendum. And when Wisconsinites exercise their right to vote in November, they will find gubernatorial candidates and the gay marriage amendment referendum sharing space on the same ballot. In both cases, the referendum increases interest in the election.

Unfortunately, the Associated Students of Madison doesn't seem to grasp this basic electoral concept.

Today, ASM reopens the candidate portion of the spring election after the Student Election Commission suspended voting halfway through the election last week. But voters won't find the Union renovation or the Living Wage referendums anywhere on the ballot. Rather, ASM has already held these elections, telling voters to come back later in the week if they wish to cast their ballot in the candidate election.

Regrettably, many likely won't be voting again.

In an election with two important initiatives on the ballot, this Board finds it difficult to understand why voting on the referendums didn't coincide with the candidate election. ASM already has a difficult time trying to mobilize students to vote in these elections, and the choice to conduct two separate elections only hinders the opportunity to increase voter turnout.

Further, holding two separate elections has only caused confusion among students as to when the ASM elections would resume. And the confusion came during an election in which the results of the referendums could have significant ramifications for the students on this campus. The election typifies the general incompetence that has come to epitomize ASM.

Questions of due process and adequate notice to the electorate also arise. SEC's initial decision to resume the referendum portion of the election last week — less than 24 hours after its decision to restart — made it impossible to adequately inform the electorate of the voting date.

Even after further difficulties pushed the election to the next week, there was still insufficient time to inform the public. The resulting impact on turnout cannot be known, but the noticeable confusion on campus presents another glaring example of ASM's inability to perform its most basic functions.