The unversitywide student polls for ASMSU and University Apartments’ Council of Residents reopened Tuesday with few problems.
On the main menu of the ballot a help page is available if any voting problems occur for the second set of elections. Polls will stay open until noon Saturday.
“Basically, all the problems were fixed over the weekend,” said Eric Smith, one of five ASMSU All University Election Commission members. “Any further problems we find now as people are voting can be fixed by going to the help page on the Web site.”
Smith said it’s easier to pinpoint voting problems if students include their majors or colleges they are enrolled in, in the e-mail system setup on the help page.
“Just this morning someone couldn’t vote and the Computer Center fixed the problem within a few hours,” Smith said. “It’s working pretty efficiently.”
Elections were postponed last week by Lee June, vice president for student affairs and services. Computer glitches and conflicts about ballot wording led ASMSU’s election commission to recommend the postponement and the voiding of the undergraduate student government representative elections and the $13 tax renewal and $3 tax increase referenda.
University Apartments’ Council of Residents postponed its $1.50 tax renewal and $1.50 tax increase referendum after faculty and staff who pay the tax could not access the polls.
“I just checked my e-mail and I haven’t got any problems from residents,” said Jeremy Roark, president of University Apartments’ Council of Residents. “For now everything seems all right.”
The State News’ $1 tax increase referendum was not postponed, and passed last week with 501 votes for it, 418 votes against it and six votes abstained.
Joe Mignano, ASMSU Student Assembly external vice chairperson, voted without any problems in his office Tuesday afternoon.
ASMSU’s representative elections, three proposed constitutional amendments and tax referendum all appear on the ballot.
“I think, from a technical standpoint, everything is worked out,” Mignano said. “Hopefully everything will go smoothly. Now the concern is to get the word out about voting.”
ASMSU has advertised this week for elections by chalking the sidewalks.
“The polls are open, working and functioning just fine,” said Melanie Olmsted, chairperson of the All University Election Commission. “For the first night, I haven’t had a dream about elections. Last night I dreamed about Elton John.”
Crop and soil science sophomore Jake Gerst said he will vote this week after he learned about elections when they were postponed. He did not vote last week.
“I have a friend going up for ASMSU and he told me about it,” Gerst said. “I think it would be a pretty good idea to vote as far as the tax increase and voting for friends.”
Students can vote at www.student-elections.msu.edu.
