With the disappearance of the Internet Protocol delay from this
year’s Undergraduate Students Association Council elections,
bloc voting during voting periods is more of a concern this
year.
If a group wanted to participate in bloc voting, not having IP
delays would make it easier for them since the five-minute wait has
been lifted this year, said said Roy Samaan, chairman of the
Election Board.
Bloc voting refers to a number of students joining together and
casting identical votes. The term could also suggest the presence
of an individual overseeing the voting process and making sure
votes are cast for certain individuals or slates.
Though bloc voting is a possibility, student groups say they are
encouraging their members to vote but are not forcing anyone to
vote a certain way.
“We don’t encourage (bloc voting) in any way,”
said Matthew Kucera, president of the Association of Chinese
Americans.
“We don’t even consider doing it,” he
added.
Kucera said the members are informed about the group’s
endorsements but are encouraged to choose for themselves.
Nine out of 11 candidates endorsed by the group were in the
Students First! slate.
Kucera said he has emphasized the importance of voting, but
there is not an organized time or location for all members to
vote.
“We tell them to learn about the candidates and not take
our word for it,” he added.
Though supporting SF!’s opposing slate, UCLA Panhellenic
Council had similar views about voting strategies.
“No one is required to vote,” said Stacy Miles,
president of Gamma Phi Beta sorority.
She explained that she made it clear to members that Panhellenic
is endorsing the Equal Access Coalition slate.
As the president, she let everyone know about endorsements
through e-mails to members and announcements during meetings.
Miles added that there are also signs posted around the sorority
house.
This year, Panhellenic decided to get more involved in the
election process and made official endorsements, said Sara Merar,
vice president of the Panhellenic council and a member of Chi Omega
sorority.
There were also posters distributed stating the endorsements and
the voting times.
Merar said they worked to keep students informed and involved,
and it is up to each individual to vote.
She added that though the council is endorsing the Equal Access
Coalition, it stressed the importance of voting in light of the
very low voter turnout last year.
Merar said bloc voting is always a concern, but individuals need
to be trusted.
There was no evidence of block voting seen during last
year’s elections, Samaan said.
In the past, before the transition to electronic voting, there
had also been problems with bloc voting occurring with the paper
ballot system. Council changed its voting process from paper
ballots to online voting last year.
The issue was that groups were going to poll locations and
voting together, Samaan said.
“(The IP delay) was an extra security measure,” he
added.
Samaan explained that the IP delay made it harder to bloc vote,
and now there is a danger of that happening.
Samaan said the Elections Board decided not to enforce the delay
because council had not requested that it be enforced.
The board will be able to tell if any suspicious activity took
place after the elections are over.