Even before its annual legislative elections, Duke Student Government has already had its first hiccup.
Late Sunday night, DSG Attorney General Elizabeth Kreul-Starr and President C.J. Walsh decided to extend the deadline for legislative election packets from 5 p.m. Sunday to 11:59 p.m. Monday. In a mass e-mail sent to the entire student body, they explained that they were attempting "to increase student involvement in the University decision-making process."
"These election packets contain the tools to put your name on the ballot for this Wednesday's election," Kreul-Starr and Walsh wrote. "In this year of implementation, make sure that your voice is heard through involvement in DSG. The process is simple--only 50 signatures are required to enter this election."
The extended deadline brought the final candidate tally to 62, about 10 more than last year. DSG officials declined to say how many packets had been handed in by the original Sunday deadline.
"We just want more," Walsh said Sunday. "It's not as big a deal to add a candidate to the ballot, because it is all on computer. It's Labor Day weekend, and some students have not been on campus. The extra day should help."
The 40 elected legislators represent five constituencies: West Campus has 16 legislative spots; East Campus has 12; Central Campus, six; North Campus, two; and off-campus students, four. There are also 10 at-large positions, although more will be added if elected spots remain vacant.
Last April, DSG considered cutting the number of DSG legislators down from 50 to 40, in part because of poor attendance and inefficient meetings.
The measure, proposed by former vice president for student affairs Jasmin French and former vice president for academic affairs Jason Bergsman, met sharp opposition. Legislators argued that the size of the organization was one of its strengths and that a smaller legislature would not increase accountability.
This summer, Walsh, a senior, proposed holding shorter meetings each week instead of the traditional bi-weekly session, to correct the problems cited in April.
DSG officials, however, promise the election itself will run smoothly this year. Walsh touted the debut of online legislator elections as one improvement. Last March's executive officer elections were the first to be conducted entirely over the Internet. However, the system was not perfect, as some students were unsure whether to use their acpub login or an alternative identification.
DSG Director for Undergraduate Computing Alan Halachmi, who also serves as the online manager for The Chronicle, said that all glitches of prior online voting have been worked out.
"[Alternate login names] were resolved for class officer elections and are resolved for the upcoming elections," said Halachmi, who is also DSG's co-director for undergraduate computing.
Students may vote online between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Wednesday. DSG voting stations in the Bryan Center, Cambridge Inn, the Marketplace and Trent will be open between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Other DSG elections in the past three years have been marred by controversy. In March 1999, 500 extra ballots were collected. The following year, there were problems with posters being placed near voting stations and incorrect candidate names on ballots. In last year's legislative election, some candidates were left off the ballot while others were paired with the wrong campus.
But with online voting, elections have become practically foolproof, said Kreul-Starr, a senior. Votes can be counted and recounted instantly, and the results will be made available to candidates within an hour of the polls' close.
Candidates can also check to see if the spelling of their name is correct on ballots before voting begins Wednesday morning.
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