ASMSU amps up election efforts

By Rachel Jackson | Originally Published: 02/02/12 9:59pm |Modified: 02/02/12 9:59pm | No comments

With the student election season fast approaching this spring, ASMSU officials are preparing to raise visibility and voter turnout with a new level of student engagement.

ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.

ASMSU Chief of Staff Eric Branoff said a 16-person special election team will be hired later this month. Some will visit each campus neighborhood as well as other campus locations to inform students about the upcoming representative elections, which will be held online April 2-9.

The group has representatives from each college dependant on enrollment.

ASMSU is focusing their efforts on the election turnout after several years of slumping voter numbers, including a drop to 2.8 percent turnout last spring.

The group has done a small amount of election preparation in the past but intends to ramp up its efforts this year by engaging in on-campus outreach, catering to specific colleges and using social media, Branoff said.

Branoff said this year’s election team will engage in “unique” marketing techniques beyond just posting fliers or emails similar to years past.

“That doesn’t work. That’s what gets you 2 percent (voter turnout),” he said, referring to last spring’s election results. This year, ASMSU’s goal turnout is 10 percent, he said.

Psychology senior Lauren Mayotte said the most she has heard of ASMSU is in the group’s email newsletters. She said because she is graduating this spring, she probably will not vote in the upcoming elections.

“I don’t think it makes a huge difference for me,” she said. “I’ve never voted before, and I just don’t know a lot about it.”

Branoff said the election team will work on building momentum during the week of the elections by potentially holding a publicity event to raffle off prizes as an incentive to vote.

Mayotte said such an approach is more effective than it has been in the past, and ASMSU would be able to reach more people by interacting with students in person rather than online.

Computer engineering freshman Sihe Zhang said he also has received emails from ASMSU before, but if he heard about the candidates in person he might be more inclined to vote.

“Face-to-face conversation is more effective than online,” he said.

Branoff said the election team cannot endorse any individual candidate and only will serve to promote the election.

Election packets for representative positions are available in ASMSU’s business office, 307 Student Services, or their website and will be accepted until March 2.

Applications for officer positions will be available at least 10 days prior to the officer elections, but a date for those elections has not yet been determined, Branoff said.