University voter turnout up across country

U of W’s numbers part of a trend; new media provides effective method of increasing votes

Mark Reimer

The University of Winnipeg’s 2009 student election boasted a fuller slate of candidates than usual, which may have contributed to a higher voter turnout.

On Monday, Mar. 16, 327 students turned up to vote, roughly 3.3 per cent of the student population. As of 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 17, 195 more had cast their ballots.

With over two voting days left, the school was well on its way to beating last year’s general election total of seven per cent, not to mention this year’s dismal 2.2 per cent by-election turnout, said chief elections commissioner Michael Rac.

“My goal is 10 per cent and I think we’ll do it,” he said Tuesday.

He attributes higher voter turnout to the wide selection of candidates generating student interest, especially the four presidential hopefuls.

“I see them basically all day, every day, talking to people and making class presentations,” Rac said.

This heightened interest in student politics is visible at many Canadian universities.

“There was a significant increase last year in voting,” said University of Alberta Students’ Union chief returns officer Patrick Wisheu.

He said an increase of over 1,500 votes in his university stems from a new online voting system.

“Campus e-mails were sent to everyone, and they were sent direct links on information on the candidates and direct links to the voting system,” he explained.

Rac said that the University of Winnipeg Students’ Association (UWSA) has discussed online voting and it may be an option for the future.

“I do think it’ll be something worth looking at,” Rac said.

The U of W is currently in a technological transitional phase with the new online registration program and the UWSA’s new website launch.

But University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU) president Jonny Sopotiuk is wary of online voting systems.” We do not do electronic voting; this has been investigated, but has not been implemented due to serious concerns regarding fraud and election rigging,” he said in an e-mail.

Even with paper ballots, the U of M has experienced an impressive voter increase with this year’s turnout of 19.14 per cent – up from last year’s 9.71 per cent.

Nova Scotia’s St. Francis Xavier University (StFX) also saw an increase from last year’s 50 per cent – to 60.4 per cent in the recent election.

“There was a positive turnout because of three solid slates of pretty awesome leaders and that is what drew the students in,” said Sarah Furey, StFX Students’ Union’s vice president communications.

In addition to an online voting system, StFX students have access to an election blog where contributors profile candidates and share comments and critiques.

The blog received 19,000 hits during election time.

“You can’t just sit back and get voter turnout. You have to be pro-active,” Furey said.

U of W’s Rac agrees. He said this year’s increasingly visible campaign strategy has promoted student interest.

Published in Volume 63, Number 24 of The Uniter (March 19, 2009)

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