Council hopes that competitive elections will encourage high voter turnout
By Andra Lim
April 27, 2010 10:54 p.m.
From Bruin Walk fliers to fee referendums, the catalyst that pulls students to the polls in the undergraduate student government elections is different for each individual.
Despite this variation, voting patterns have remained relatively stable.
Prior to last year’s elections, voter turnout ranged from about 20 to 30 percent for 10 years.
“UCLA is a small city,” said Mike Cohn, who advised the Undergraduate Students Association Council Election Board for 20 years. “In a large campus, it’s hard to reach out to voters. Some students aren’t interested, and it’s hard to get people engaged.”
But last year’s enthusiastic campaigns and a fee referendum on the ballot helped raise turnout to an unprecedented 39 percent, Cohn said.
On average, about 19 percent of students vote in undergraduate student government elections, according to a 2005 study of 94 U.S. colleges published by the American Political Science Association.
“The more turnout, the better, because you end up getting a more representative democracy. Last year’s turnout was much better than in the past, but ideally, we want to get into the 60, 70, 80 percent range,” said Tim Mullins, who was elected facilities commissioner in the last election.
This year’s elections may draw even more students than the previous year, said Hector Lucero, Election Board chair. The current election season is competitive, as multiple candidates are running for most of the 13 council positions, and a third slate, the Defend Affirmative Action Party, has emerged, Lucero said.
Additionally, the number of student groups that have applied to endorse candidates increased to 126 from last year’s 74, Lucero said. Students in these groups, which include Bruin Harmony and Bruin Runners, are likely to vote, he added.
“Not all students are aware of the elections and the importance of the elections. Sometimes students have asked me what USAC is, and I find that interesting because it is such a big part of their life,” Lucero said.
The council’s budget is comprised of student fees, Lucero added. Currently, USAC is not described in depth to incoming students, Mullins said. Explaining USAC to students during freshman orientation and in a campus-wide e-mail at the beginning of each school year could help make the council more visible, he added.
Betty Dankongkakul, a third-year mathematics for teaching student, said she does not want to vote because she knows little about the elections.
“I have no idea what USAC is,” she said. “I’m not really involved in the school and wouldn’t want to vote about things I’m not knowledgeable about.”
One of the most significant increases in voter turnout occurred when campus polling stations were eliminated in favor of holding elections through MyUCLA in 2005, Cohn said. That year, voter turnout was about 33 percent in the final election, up 7 percent from the previous year.
“(MyUCLA) spreads out voting, and gives students more opportunity to vote,” Cohn said, adding that prior to virtual polling stations, elections were held for only two days as opposed to the current four.
UC Berkeley offers both physical and virtual polling stations, and had a voter turnout of about 34 percent this year, said Vinit Sukhija, Elections Council chair of the Associated Students of the University of California.
USAC also implemented a different voting system in 2007 to end runoff elections, making the process more efficient. Previously, if no candidate held a majority, a second election would be held.
Another structural change that increases voter turnout in student government elections more than 4 percent on average is holding separate presidential elections, according to a study published by the American Political Science Association.
In order to increase voter turnout this year, the Election Board is considering offering students coupons to Ackerman Union eateries or placing ads on Facebook, Lucero said.
Stanford University, which had a 58 percent turnout this year, paid about $42 to advertise their elections on Facebook, said Lee Jackson, communications chair of the Associated Students of Stanford University.
At Pomona College, students receive an e-mail notification when voting begins and polling stations are set up in the dining halls, said Jed Cullen, president of the Associated Students of Pomona College. About half the students voted in this year’s elections.
“Pomona is highly residential, and it’s a centralized campus, so everyone pretty much knows what day elections are,” Cullen said. “The elections commissioner doesn’t have to get particularly creative.”
Some countries like Australia also offer incentives to vote in their national elections, enforcing compulsory voting by making non-voters pay a fine, said Michael Chwe, UCLA associate professor of political science.
Candidates’ campaign efforts also help determine how many students vote, Cohn said. One year, a candidate gave away coupons for a frozen yogurt place, he said. Another year, candidates scrawled their names on refrigerators, bathtubs and radiators, which they then placed on campus to attract attention.
Taylor Braun, who is running for the general representative office, said her primary campaign strategy is to communicate face-to-face with students.
“I could put up a Facebook page, but it’s more effective talking to students,” she said.
Voting for the upcoming elections begins Monday at 8 p.m. on MyUCLA and will end at 8 p.m. May 6.
