A ballot with clarity would get more students to vote

Editor,

As an experienced voter who has been reading ballots for 10 years, I have seen many confusing ways in which proposed amendments have been written up.

Often, I feel as if the ballot writers make it confusing because they know people don't take the time to read it. This election mechanism can be used to push an amendment through or block it from acceptance. I learned early on to take my time, read the proposed amendment and then vote on it.

On April 11, I went to vote in Zimmerman Library for the ASUNM election. To my surprise - not really, but I have to pretend that they didn't mean to confuse the voters - the first amendment dealing with the cutting of student fees to the Daily Lobo was such an incoherent question that I had to re-read it several times. Like many students, I was doing my school duty in between classes. Therefore, I was late to my next class.

I am sure many students did not take the time to read the amendment and just voted for it. The way it was proposed definitely misled the voters and confused them to think that they might be voting for something else.

If ASUNM senators want to encourage more students to vote, then they need to make sure that all parts of the ballot are clear and precise. As a member of many groups within the Democratic Party and elsewhere, I have been a part of the drawing up of ballots. I understand the difficulty in presenting a complicated issue, but this time I think the wordy and misleading amendment question was done purposely to affect a certain election result.

If my perceptions are true, then that is unfortunate for everyone. I hope that more experienced students will take part in the process next year, maybe then we can get some fair results.

Jeremy Toulouse

Political science student