The wording of ASMSU’s $3 tax increase referendum question was changed on the universitywide ballot.
Some undergraduate student government members said the original question was confusing.
ASMSU’s Student Assembly opposed the original question and proposed the new two-part question at its Thursday meeting. The organization’s $3 tax increase referendum, $13 tax renewal and representative elections were postponed last week.
The new question was designed to be easier to understand and less wordy by breaking down how the current $13 charge is used. No other questions on the ballot were changed.
The changes were approved by Lee June, vice president for student affairs and services, on Friday morning. The new question will read, “Shall the university continue to collect the ASMSU fee of $10? Shall the university continue to collect the Red Cedar Log fee of $3?”
Quinn Wright, ASMSU Student Assembly chairperson, said it was necessary to change the tax referendum wording before it was due to the Computer Center for system testing Friday.
“There was a lot of confusion as to what people were voting on,” Wright said. “By simplifying the question, it will help them have a better understanding. We knew we had to make changes and were fighting against time.”
Wright said there is not a required time for the assembly to form ballot questions.
When the original referendum question was passed in October by Student Assembly, most of the current assembly members were not in the undergraduate student government.
Computer glitches and conflicts about ballot wording led to ASMSU’s postponement and the voiding of the elections.
University Apartments’ Council of Residents also postponed its $1.50 tax increase referendum and $3 tax renewal because of computer voting problems.
Polls will be open at 8 a.m. Tuesday to noon Saturday.
The State News completed its $1 tax increase referendum Saturday. The results will be available today.
During elections, a general information session about ASMSU will be held in Wonders Hall Kiva. Some election questions will be answered during the meeting.
“It is an opportunity for ASMSU to come clean with students,” said Matt Clayson, Academic Assembly chairperson. “We always act like we have something to hide. I think this will prove we have nothing to hide, and we are a transparent organization.”
Lewis Greenberg, director of the Computer Center, said all the language for the ballot, including the new referendum question, was received by Friday afternoon for system testing.
“All (designated) students are supposed to be testing it until Monday morning,” Greenberg said. “They are supposed to tell us if they are satisfied with it, and tell us to go ahead.”
Greenberg said changing the text on the Web site was easy, but fixing the University Apartments’ voting glitch was difficult.
“It took a lot of work combining two databases,” he said. “But everything is worked out.”
Students can vote beginning Tuesday at www.student-elections.msu.edu.
