CUSG Corner: Voting privacy is a basic right

When a record-breaking number of students voted in this year's Presidential election, they lined up at the polls, sometimes for a very long time, to wait to cast their vote in a private, secure location. In every single state in this nation, citizens have a right to cast their ballots in a private polling booth, free from the intimidation and bribery of candidates. This is true in most of the functioning democracies of Europe, in Australia and Brazil. Most unions in this country, as well as city and county governments, ensure that their citizens can vote in this way. So, we fail to see why this voting method is too controversial for CU Student Government to adopt.

Last week, when asked to vote on a bill that would abolish the current voting system, in which you can vote at any time from a laptop logged into myCUInfo, and establish a new system in which you can vote at one of four polling places across campus, the Legislative Council of your Student Government said no.

The bill would have banned electioneering, or the process of observing students while they vote. We have received complaints for years about intimidation, coercion and manipulation by candidates who watch over students' shoulders while voting.

CU student government is in control of 25 million dollars of your money and is supposed to represent your voices to the Chancellor, the Board of Regents, and the State of Colorado. They should be elected in a way that is fair and free of corruption. However, right now, there is nothing stopping candidates from watching over your shoulder while you vote, misrepresenting their views or the views of their opponents in an attempt to scare you into voting for them, or showing up at your club meeting, sorority, fraternity, or sports team practice with lap tops to try and coerce you into voting the way your friends did. We cannot force every student to diligently research the issues and the candidates and make informed decisions.

Even if we could, there is no reason for us to force any student to do anything, the last administration learned that lesson well on 4/20. But, we can guarantee that students can vote for their leaders in an environment free from bullying, intimidation and manipulation.

Tell your Legislators to vote for fair, responsible elections now. Tell them that you want a system in place by the Fall of 2013. Please send your concerns to any of the representatives or senators below:

Representatives-at-Large:

Neelah Ali: alinm@colorado.edu

Juliette Bourdier: juliette.bourdier@colorado.edu

Zeke Johnson: zeke@pulse2012.org

Lauren Kuhn: lauren.kuhn@colorado.edu

Wesley Montag: wesley.montag@colorado.edu

Maddison Saavedra: maddison.saavedra@colorado.edu

Alexis Scobie: alexis.scobie@colorado.edu

Nathaniel Wallshein: nathaniel.wallshein@colorado.edu

Chelsea Miller: chelsea.lenore.miller@colorado.edu

Senators:

Catherine Bogart, Journalism: catherine.bogart@colorado.edu