Web Polls Survive 1st Major Test

The Internet saved the day Tuesday, drawing about 2,200 more voters than last year.

More than 5,800 students -- including those overseas -- cast their votes in Tuesday's student elections by voting online. Students were able to vote at home, in the library or at work via cyberspace.

"Online voting is immensely convenient," said Meg Smothers, a public policy analysis major. "I was able to vote this morning in my pajamas."

Jeremy Tuchmayer, chairman of the Board of Elections, supervised the online voting process throughout the day. He said things went smoothly, as expected.

"Our only concern was with continuing seniors who voted online but did not realize they could not vote for senior class president," Tuchmayer said. "But we anticipated this problem, and manual ballots were made so these seniors could, in fact, vote for the senior class president."

Most students found traditional ballot voting in past years inconvenient because of long lines, forcing students to either attend class late or not at all.

Many students said the online voting system was both convenient and well-organized. Most students had no trouble finding their voting district and their candidate choices. "I voted in 30 seconds," said sophomore Courtney Harrington. "The Web site was very well laid-out and easy to navigate."

Smothers, a senior, worked on the Board of Elections her freshman year and recalls the difficulty and confusion that came with traditional vote tabulation. "Counting ballots is a tedious, painstaking process," Smothers said. "This year's election board will have a much easier time tallying the votes."

Tuchmayer said a fair number of students had voted by the early afternoon. But voting peaked in the late afternoon and early evening.

Another advantage to the online voting system is that students who are abroad can still participate in the elections. Because the students still receive campaign e-mails from the candidates, they have access to the election and who is running. "I still wanted to be a part of the election and what was going on at school," said sophomore Nisha Chandak, who is studying abroad in Italy. "I thought the elections were important. I wanted to make a difference, and I hoped one vote would."

Chandak said the online system is convenient even for those who are overseas. "I think it's a great idea. So many students go abroad every year, and this gives them the opportunity (to vote). It's so simple and easy."

Tuchmayer said the success of the system Tuesday night bodes well for the future. "I think the system went really well," he said. "No glitches were reported, and hopefully, we will have a higher turnout over time."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.