Student voter apathy and voting fraud are two problems the Undergraduate Student Government hopes will not taint next week’s election for USG president and SIU student trustee. Last Wednesday, the USG election commission approved a measure to add an extra voting day for student elections and an additional polling place on campus.

SIU students will cast votes during a two-day period on Tuesday, April 16 and Wednesday, April 17. Students can vote at the newly added Morris Library or at five other campus locations Grinnel Hall, Trueblood Hall, Lentz Hall, the Student Center and the Recreation Center.

USG, often criticized for being less than efficient in many of its endeavors, has wisely addressed two crucial issues surrounding student elections:when votes are cast and where to cast them. Students won’t be able to say they would have voted, but they didn’t have time to get to the polling place. With an extra day, students should be able to schedule a time to vote for their student leaders.

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Adding an extra polling location is another smart measure to ensure that those students who do go to the polls will have many places where they can cast a vote. USG’s election commission, along with assistance from Instructional Support Services, has also devised what it hopes is a more accurate voting system. In previous elections, students cast their ballots using sheets of paper. They will now use a scantron to cast votes.

The new method will make counting votes quicker and more accurate, although the 2000 presidential election demonstrated that there is no perfect system to count votes. Utilizing a scantron method, nevertheless, is an improvement on the old, tedious process, where votes were counted manually, and election results were not known until the wee hours of the morning.

The election commission also needs volunteers to work at polling locations. This offers students another way to participate, and they should, if possible. As the election approaches, the next step is to get students to actually care about their student elections. But there is no resolution or measure that can be passed to solve that problem. Students must make these elections a priority.

Issues such as prayer at graduation, tuition and fee increases and Registered Student Organization funding are contingent on the effectiveness of USG leaders and the student trustee. One way for students to contribute to their effectiveness is by electing the best persons to serve as USG president and student trustee. USG has done its part in opening up the process. SIU students it’s your turn now.