• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

By Jenny Blake and Rachel Makabi

DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF

jblake@media.ucla.edu

rmakabi@media.ucla.edu

Hours before voters go to the polls to elect Undergraduate Students Association Council members, candidates attempted, in a last-minute effort, to garner votes from a student body that has repeatedly seen low voter turnouts.

Voting takes place today and Thursday at 11 polling locations throughout campus, but many students say they are apathetic to the decision and do not plan on voting.

Since at least 1992, fewer than 32 percent of the undergraduate student body has voted in USAC elections.

Last year, only about 20 percent of students voted in the elections – the third lowest total in a decade.

Fourth-year biochemistry student Johanna Ang, who voted in previous years, said she has now lost interest.

“I voted in the past, but I don’t think I gained anything from it,” Ang said.

“(Candidates) are so concentrated on getting in their ethnic or party group that you never really hear what they are running for,” she continued.

Even with candidates passing out flyers each day on Bruin Walk, many students say they do not know enough about candidates’ decisions to make an informed choice.

“It’s not that I don’t care, but I didn’t take the time to figure out who was better,” said first-year microbiology and biochemistry student Sima Sadegninejad, adding that she does not plan on voting this year.

Year after year, candidates promise to improve USAC’s visibility to undergraduate students. Still, voter turnout continues to decrease.

Tuesday night, Bruin Democrats, Political Science Student Organization and the Republican Leadership Council sponsored a forum – attended by approximately two dozen students – for candidates to reiterate platform ideals.

Only one-third of candidates made an appearance at the forum. Of the seven candidates on the panel, three left before the forum ended.

At an On-Campus Housing Council endorsement hearing last week, two-thirds of the candidates showed up.

Despite the near-vacant lecture hall Tuesday night, candidates felt they were successful in relaying ideas to the two dozen students in attendance.

“I wish more people could have been here,” said presidential candidate Bryant Tan. “But the people that were here had good questions and challenged us.”

Both presidential candidates, Tan and David Dahle were present, along with unopposed external vice president candidate Chris Neal, internal vice president candidate Justin Levi, cultural affairs commissioner candidate Robbie Clark, academic affairs commissioner candidate Dria Fearn and general representative candidate Jenny Lam.