Next week students will decide whether they want to vote in the Student Government Association election March 1 and 2.
Junior Jennifer Wells said she has voted in past elections and will vote in this election because the student government is a representative voice of the student body.
"They represent us," she said. "We have a say in who our leaders should be. Because the student government is a part of Ball State, everyone should be involved in the voting process."
However, unlike Wells, many students chose not to vote. Low voter turnout in the SGA elections is common, Elections Board Chairman Joe Flores said.
In the 2003 election, 2,039 students voted out of about 18,000 Ball State students, he said. This was a slight improvement over the 2002 election results because 2,023 students voted.
Students were able to vote online in the last two elections.
During the two-day election, students can log on to www.bsu.edu/votebsu to vote for either the Jayson Manship slate or the Ben Tietz slate.
Students can also access the site through Ball State's main Web page, he said.
To increase student voting, the Election Board has decided to have wireless laptops at LaFollette Concourse March 1 and 2, he said.
"It's a way of being more proactive," Flores said. "We had talked about the wireless laptops for last year's election, but it didn't happen. This year we have the space reserved."
Associate vice president for student life Kay Bales said the Election Board will also send students an e-mail reminding them about the SGA election. The e-mail will have a link to the voting Web site, she said.
The board has also increased its election advertising in the student media to promote student voting, Flores said.
Flores said many students do not vote because they think the SGA elections do not have an effect on student life.
Senior Joe Meiring said he doesn't plan on voting next week because he doesn't think his vote will make a difference.
"I haven't been following the elections, so I don't feel prepared to vote," Meiring said. "I don't know how it would make a difference."
Flores said students thinking their votes won't matter is common, especially with off-campus and nontraditional students.
"But there are exceptions to the rules," he said. "I encourage all students to vote. If you don't vote, then you don't have the right to complain."
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