The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) announced a shift to online-only polling services for the upcoming 2015 elections in an emergency council meeting Jan. 8.
The meeting was called to elect the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and two Deputy Electoral Officers (DEO) for the upcoming 2015 CUSA election.
Samantha Somerville was elected as CEO, while Katrina Crocker and Damola Adeyemo were elected as DEOs.
Somerville announced the shift to online polling for the upcoming election during her presentation of the 2015 Writ of Elections.
The new system will include an online ballot that will be sent to each student’s email account where they can cast their votes, according to Crocker.
“It is the exact system we used for the fall reading week, so that was the test of the system,” Somerville said.
She added there will be polling stations across campus which will provide computers for students to vote.
“There will be poll clerks in separate polling stations around campus who will have a computer that students can access to vote if they have no other way,” she said.
In-person polling stations remain up for debate, and are temporarily removed from the elections writ.
“Because there is going to be online elections, this is something that has never happened before, so we need to decide what will exactly happen with the polling stations,” Somerville said.
Crocker said the new online voting system aims to make voting in the upcoming elections as accessible as possible.
“My hope is that it’s going to get a lot of people involved in the elections and the voter turn out is going to increase significantly,” Somerville said.
Both Crocker and Somerville have previously worked for the Carleton University Law Society.
The candidates were put forth by the CUSA hiring committee, and were voted in by council during the meeting.
“I was interested in this position because I am very passionate about student government, and I am passionate about the elections being fair and inclusive,” Somerville said.
“I know in the past years there has been negativity and certain things surrounding the election, and I want to have a positive election,” she said.
“I want people to feel like they’re able to run and they can do so and have a good time doing so.”
Damola Adeyemo, the second elected DEO, was not present at the meeting and did not make a speech.
Public Affairs and Policy Management councillor Gennesse Walker-Scace and Arts and Social Sciences councillor Adam Carroll both raised concerns over lack of candidates for both CEO and DEO positions during the meeting.
