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Student Government Elections See Divergent Turnout Results
As student government elections are held across the nation, student participation continues to vary. The results are not without a pattern, however; student governments that make concerted efforts to raise voter turnout seem to see success. At Miami University, voter turnout surpassed the 2005 election, which had been the highest in recent years. Among the measures credited with making a difference was the student government’s attempt to actively distribute voter guides, rather than simply making them available. At Washington State University, voter turnout decreased 42.5 percent from last year’s elections. Among the factors blamed were a lack of student referendums, online voting trouble, and a reduced campaign budget—which led to fewer events and less campaign literature. In an attempt to increase voter participation, the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico voted in favor of a measure to add polling places to the campus’s ethnic centers—but it did not pass because four senators were absent.
3/6/07 Read More from Miami University
