NEC aims to 'Get out the Vote'

Instead of meeting your roommate at the food court today, why not stop for lunch on College Green? The person who hands you your slice of pizza may very well be the next chairperson of the Undergraduate Assembly. The Nominations and Elections Committee will hold a Get Out The Vote party today featuring free food and performances by Penn performing arts groups from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on College Green to publicize the debut of on-line balloting for UA and class board elections. Candidates for student government positions will be on hand to make speeches, distribute food and do some last-minute campaigning for the elections, which begin at 8 a.m. this morning and continue through March 29. "Get Out The Vote is a great way to publicize the election and I'm sure that it will positively affect voter turnout," said UA Vice Chairperson and College sophomore Michael Bassik, who is running to keep his seat on the UA. The event -- which kicks off a week of on-line voting -- is part of a larger publicity campaign which includes posters, balloons on Locust Walk and e-mails to various campus groups encouraging students to vote. "We hope to attract students to [College] Green so that they can learn more about the new elections process," NEC Chairperson and Wharton senior Neha Champaneria said. "We are going to be distributing information about how to get your PennNet ID password [which is required to vote on-line] and directing students to Rosengarten, where they can get it." According to the project's organizers, the event has two functions: to remind students that elections have begun and to teach students the ins and outs of on-line voting. About 15 candidates -- including Bassik -- are signed up to speak at the event, down from the 25 to 30 candidates that spoke last year. Event organizers said that many candidates have volunteered to distribute food, speculating that this year's candidates may prefer face-to-face interaction with the student body. There will also be performances by Penn performing arts groups and a local band. The party is funded by the NEC, and Civic House donated some equipment for the event. Students can vote for UA and class boards representatives from any computer with Internet access by logging onto the NEC's World Wide Web site -- http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~nec/vote.html -- with their PennNet ID login name and password.

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