Posted by: Sal Atticum
« on: October 11, 2007, 09:29:58 AM »Here's a follow-up article (not really, but addressing related things). I am very impressed with the DS for actually doing interviews and doing some investigative news this year. Good job!!
I'll add my comments here again as well, mostly because I don't know if they will stick up on the DS site:
I've outlined my ideas about this in response to an earlier article, but I would like to add to that.
Interesting article, and almost to the point. Is Student Government going to be working towards getting the election date changed until 2009, or is the vote going to come up while everyone is asleep at the wheel? As much as getting absentee ballots out there can probably help, I think we need a goal and a plan more solid than "let's get the election date changed."
Who are we going to vote for? Why are we going to vote for them? What do the students actually want out of the city government? How are we going to coordinate this and rally the majority of the students to get out and vote?
I think that we need some support _now_. Is there, in fact, anyone currently in city government that is willing to hear from the students? Is there someone at Student Government that is willing to head up coordinating a "list of demands" from the student body? Is there someone in the community who would be willing to run and be elected by the students (if we ever have so much clout as to be able to vote)? Is there a STUDENT who would be right for the job?
Handing out some absentee ballots and making a Facebook group isn't going to cut it--if you want to be taken seriously, and if the students are really as part of this town as they think they are, then we need to use our contacts with the full-time residents to our advantage. We need a plan and a goal, and it should be in place or in action by the time this supposed vote happens to change the date.
College students are ephemeral, and the city government knows this. If we have nothing long-term in place, the city won't even think about listening to us.
I am open to suggestions.
Other comments on this article at the DS
Quote
Date change is considered for city's election
Alterations to make student voting easier are being looked at by Student Government
By: Nikki Voigt
Posted: 10/9/07
Student government members are currently working to make it easier for UND students to vote in Grand Forks city elections.
Until 1991, city elections were held on the first Tuesday in April of each even-numbered year. Then the North Dakota Legislature adopted a statewide action to consolidate city, county and school elections with statewide primary elections held in June.
"The arguments made for consolidating local elections with state primaries were to cut costs and save money to enhance voter turnout," said Pete Haga, the Mayor's Assistant. "They were also concerned with reducing voter burnout that many people were getting from having to vote in several different elections at different times of the year."
According to Haga, although concern that the move would have an effect on college students was not brought up in the discussions of the change, the action was not targeted against student voters.
Voter accessibility
"It does make sense to hold all these elections at the same time," said Amanda Kaler, Student Government's Governmental Affairs Commissioner. "But it makes it hard for students who move back home or who are gone for the summer to get their voices heard in the elections this way."
Kaler said that Student Government is currently working on a plan to get the city elections changed to November to benefit students.
"I'm hoping to get the North Dakota Student Association to support this plan," she said. "Our next meeting is in October, so hopefully we can get some good discussion on this going then. I want the other representatives to check with their cities, so we can gather statewide support for this."
"I believe that the date of elections can be changed through actions at the state legislature level," said Haga. "If something can change in the first place, there is a way to get it to change back."
Change process
Haga said that an interested person or group would have to give a proposal to a local legislator who would put it into draft form and get it to the legislature for discussion.
"It wouldn't be able to be discussed until the 2009 legislative session," he said.
Kaler said that for this year, Student Government is going to gather absentee ballots and have them in their office or somewhere else on campus where students can have access to them.
"Students can apply for absentee ballots 30 days prior to elections," Haga said. "The city is working with Student Government to get the information about absentee ballots out to everyone and to make them more accessible."
"We want the students to know that they are citizens of Grand Forks and they do have the right to vote," Haga added.
"It's important for students to be able to vote in city elections, because this is where they live nine months out of the year," Kaler said. "These elections will affect them more than the ones in their hometown will, because they only live there for three months."
Kaler added that UND students are a huge chunk of the Grand Forks population, and deserve to have some say in local issues.
The city isn't against having more students voting in city elections, either.
"We do want students to have their voices heard as residents in this community," Haga said. © Copyright 2007 Dakota Student
I'll add my comments here again as well, mostly because I don't know if they will stick up on the DS site:
I've outlined my ideas about this in response to an earlier article, but I would like to add to that.
Interesting article, and almost to the point. Is Student Government going to be working towards getting the election date changed until 2009, or is the vote going to come up while everyone is asleep at the wheel? As much as getting absentee ballots out there can probably help, I think we need a goal and a plan more solid than "let's get the election date changed."
Who are we going to vote for? Why are we going to vote for them? What do the students actually want out of the city government? How are we going to coordinate this and rally the majority of the students to get out and vote?
I think that we need some support _now_. Is there, in fact, anyone currently in city government that is willing to hear from the students? Is there someone at Student Government that is willing to head up coordinating a "list of demands" from the student body? Is there someone in the community who would be willing to run and be elected by the students (if we ever have so much clout as to be able to vote)? Is there a STUDENT who would be right for the job?
Handing out some absentee ballots and making a Facebook group isn't going to cut it--if you want to be taken seriously, and if the students are really as part of this town as they think they are, then we need to use our contacts with the full-time residents to our advantage. We need a plan and a goal, and it should be in place or in action by the time this supposed vote happens to change the date.
College students are ephemeral, and the city government knows this. If we have nothing long-term in place, the city won't even think about listening to us.
I am open to suggestions.
Other comments on this article at the DS