The University of Wisconsin’s student government is currently holding elections for five open seats in its offices. Two referenda amending Associate Students of Madison’s policy are also up to students’ decision.

The election process started Tuesday at 8 a.m. and will go through Thursday until 8 o’clock at night.

Two freshman representative seats, one special student spot and a non-Letters and Sciences Graduate student seat all on Student Council are up for grabs. Any freshman, special student or non-L&S graduate student can vote for their prospective member. In addition, one elected at-large member of ASM’s Student Services Finance Committee is up for election by all UW students.

Thirteen listed freshmen Student Council candidates are currently on the online ballot, with campaign slogans ranging from Isaac Lenz’s, “Victoria’s real secret … she votes for Isaac,” to Eyal Halamish and Ashok Kumar’s shared slogan, “Did you hear what the other candidates said about your mom?”

Write-in candidates are allowed in this election, and there is only one SSFC candidate, with a possibility for a write-in candidate. The two remaining seats open for election on Student Council are write-ins only.

The two referenda deal with three questions about basic changes to SSFC funding policy.

The voting process itself has changed to allow students an easier time at the polling places.

Student Elections Commission Chair and UW junior Marissa Corey said that students could vote on ASM’s website at virtually any computer with Internet access. Corey also noted that ASM has set up two polling places at both of the UW’s student unions, which she hopes will encourage a better voter turnout and greater convenience for students.

“[Now students] have no reason not to vote,” Corey said. “We tried to make the voting process easy and straight forward.”

Corey added that students should vote because ASM has a great deal of power on campus.

Dean of Students Luoluo Hong echoed that notion in a UW press release.

“Many students call or e-mail me to complain about decisions that are made on campus, or to provide good suggestions for what we can do to improve student life,” Hong said. “ASM can provide students the opportunity to have a voice on campus, as well as play a direct role in bringing about changes.”

However, a hired poll worker at Union South did not show the enthusiasm for student government that Hong did.

“I don’t exactly know what they do,” UW sophomore Trevor Sumner said. Sumner, admitting he had not voted as of Tuesday afternoon, added that ASM might have some importance, but he does not feel the direct effect.

“I’m sure they have some sort of function,” he said.

Even though Sumner revealed that he knew little of ASM’s activities, he suggested that students do not actively seek out information about UW’s student government.

“I don’t think students are informed as to what ASM does,” he said.

Another UW sophomore and poll worker, James Block, agreed that most students either do not know ASM’s functions or care little if they do know, but he urged students to vote.

“I don’t think students have an idea for the amount of money ASM has,” Block said, “or who they can give that money to.”

Block said ASM does “good work on campus,” citing the 24-hour library project and the ASM bus pass program and went on to add that putting polling places in public areas can only encourage student voting.

“There’s no way you’re going to get active [voting] unless polls are everywhere,” Block said.