Online voting more effective than ballots

Fearn is the president of the Disabled Student Union and a
candidate for USAC Academic Affairs Commissioner.

By Dria Fearn

There is no compelling reason why UCLA undergraduate elections
should remain paper ballots. UCLA has been a leader in the
development of the Internet as we know it, and should be a
proponent of online voting. Five of the seven other UC campuses
already hold elections online, as does UCLA’s Graduate
Students Association.

The case against online voting has little substance. Opponents
assert that the current system is adequate, and although this may
be the case, online voting has shown to greatly increase voter
turnout the majority of the time. Allowing greater student
participation in the electoral process should be the goal of any
student government ““ UCLA should be no exception.

Opponents have also cited security risk, but that threat is
present in any type of voting system. An online election would have
procedural safeguards, such as requiring a student identification
number and URSA password, to protect against security breaches.
URSA Online currently allows us to pay our BAR account via personal
credit card, check our grades, and update our personal information.
These are arguably greater risks to security than an online
election could ever be, so why has voting online been the subject
of continued scrutiny?

Opponents also cite that not everyone has access to computers.
First of all, computer labs and workstations are available to
students all over campus. Secondly, students are often required to
have access to e-mail and course Web pages for instructional
purposes, so the question of access in order to vote should be a
non-issue. Students who do not come to campus will still have the
opportunity to vote, which is not currently the case with paper
balloting.

Another benefit to voting online is that it allows students
studying abroad to participate in the process, which they are
currently unable to do.

Many disabled students have also been denied access to the polls
due to the nature of their disability. A change to online voting
would eviscerate the obstacle that disenfranchises them ““ the
paper ballot.

Having the elections held through the MyUCLA page would result
in a more educated voting population because candidates could have
their platforms linked to the page, allowing students to read about
the issues. At UC Irvine, candidates even have short videos that
voters can watch from the Elections Board Web page. An added
benefit is that the expense to run elections would be substantially
decreased, meaning more money for student programming, activities
and events.

Opponents also allege that certain campus constituencies will
force their members to vote as a block, resulting in a possible
violation of the voting privacy and election code rules. UCLA
students are the best and the brightest, and I believe that given
the opportunity, they will vote for the candidate they believe will
do the best job. Ironically the groups opposed to online voting are
the same groups that already get their members to vote as a
block.

Student Empowerment! is the reason we do not have online voting
now. At a council meeting earlier this quarter every elected
Student Empowerment! member that voted on the issue voted against
putting the question on the upcoming election ballot. They fear
online voting because their electoral strength comes from low voter
turnout. As they rely on student apathy to get elected, the current
system works to their benefit.

Student Empowerment! justifies its narrow agenda by saying that
they are working for the constituency that voted them in. This
year, make your voice and opinion known. Vote for online elections
and the candidates who promise to actively represent the wide range
of students in the undergraduate community. We may be unable to
vote online this year, but by casting your vote, we can make it
next year’s reality.