Apathy
      or
      bad
      planning?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Low
      voter
      turn-out
      for
      student
      elections
     
    
   
   
    
     
      id
      you
      vote
      in
      the
      S.U.
      bi-elections
      on
     
    

    
     
      October?
      Did
      you
      even
      know
      they
      were
     
    

    
     
      on?
      Ifso,
      you
      were
      one
      of
      the
      215
      who
     
     
      voted
      out
      of
      2700
      full-time
      students
      at
      UPEI.
     
     
      This
      represents
      8%
      of
      eligible
      voters.
     
    

    
     
      Fall
      bi-elections
      usually
      have
      a
      lower
      voter
     
     
      turnout
      than
      the
      spring
      elections
      do.
      This
      leads
     
     
      people
      to
      believe
      that
      the
      students
      at
      UPEI
      are
     
     
      apathetic.
      There
      are
      other
      reasons,
      according
      to
     
     
      students.
     
    

    
     
      When
      asked
      if
      he
      voted,
      one
      student
      said
     
     
      ‘‘No,
      I
      was
      going
      to
      but
      I
      didn’t
      know
      any
      of
      the
     
     
      people
      and
      what
      they
      stood
      for.’’
      Another
      fe-
     
     
      male
      student
      said
      that
      she
      never
      got
      around
      to
      it.
     
     
      ‘*Besides,
      I
      didn’t
      know
      when
      it
      was.’’
     
    

    
     
      A
      third-year
      student
      didn’t
      even
      know
      who
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      she
      was
      eligible
      to
      vote
      for,
      who
      the
      candidates
     
     
      were,
      and
      saw
      no
      advertising
      around
      campus,
     
     
      except
      for
      the
      polls
      during
      voting
      week.
     
    

    
     
      UPEI’s
      low
      percentage
      is
      considered
      ‘*fair
     
     
      to
      good’’
      compared
      to
      other
      universities,
      says
     
     
      Bruce
      Davison,
      chief
      returning
      officer.
      A
      coun-
     
     
      cillor
      at
      UNB
      said
      that
      they
      usually
      have
      only
      2-
     
     
      5%
      turnout
      for
      their
      fall
      elections,
      although
      this
     
     
      year
      they
      held
      areferendum
      in
      which
      21-22%
      of
     
     
      students
      voted.
     
    

    
     
      Memorial
      University
      in
      Newfoundland
      has
     
     
      a
      low
      turnout
      for
      their
      fall
      bi-election.
      They,
     
     
      too,
      had
      a
      referendum
      this
      fall
      and
      9%
      of
     
     
      students
      turned
      out
      to
      vote.
      Eighteen
      of
      the
     
     
      thirty-two
      S.U.
      positions
      were
      won
      by
      acclama-
     
     
      tion
      last
      spring
      at
      MUN,
      revealing
      a
      problem
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      not
      only
      with
      voter
      turnout,
      but
      also
      with
      the
     
     
      student
      population’s
      interest
      in
      running
      for
      a
     
     
      position
      with
      the
      Student
      Union.
     
    

    
     
      UPEI
      also
      has
      a
      problem
      getting
      people
      to
     
     
      run
      for
      positions.
      Nominations
      for
      one
      more
     
     
      senate
      rep,
      one
      more
      arts
      rep,
      an
      ombudsman,
     
     
      and
      a
      mapus
      senate
      rep
      are
      open
      again.
     
    

    
     
      With
      positions
      unfilled
      in
      the
      middle
      of
     
     
      November,
      it
      seems
      that
      students
      are
      either
     
     
      apathetic
      or
      ignorant
      of
      the
      positions’
      exist-
     
     
      ence.
      That
      being
      the
      case,
      the
      S.U.
      may
      have
      to
     
     
      look
      at
      new
      ways
      to
      publicize
      the
      event
      so
      that
     
     
      students
      can
      get
      involved.
     
    

    
     
      REBECCA
      MOORE
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      co)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Available
      at:
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      WORK
      WORLD,
      Charlottetown
      Mall.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      November
      11,
      1993/X-Press/7