The ASUO primary election begins this morning, and a four-hour candidate fair will give students a chance to vote and meet candidates this afternoon.
The candidate fair, which will be held today on the Memorial Quad in front of Knight Library, begins at 11 a.m. and will continue through 3 p.m. Candidates will answer questions and speak with student voters, and a raffle and the official duck mascot will provide entertainment.
“We are just looking for a good environment for people to come out and get to know the candidates,” Elections Publicity Coordinator Nathan Strauss said.
After acquainting themselves with the candidates, students can vote for their top picks on DuckWeb at any of the computer labs on campus. Wireless access will also be available at the candidate fair.
The ASUO Elections Board is also hosting a debate for ASUO Executive candidates Tuesday night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the EMU Fir Room. Pizza will be served at 6:30 p.m., and candidates will answer questions formulated by two groups, Strauss said.
ASUO Elections Coordinator Stephanie Day said the two groups and their questions will not be disclosed before the events, adding that the groups were chosen by the board because they “best represented the University campus.”
Day said the board wasn’t releasing the names or affiliations of the groups to avoid solicitation from candidates, adding that the groups are “vital parts of the campus and ASUO, not necessarily a student group.”
Each group will ask only two questions each to allow more time for questions from the public.
Strauss said a slew of other events will fill out the elections events this week. Also on Tuesday, the Student Recreation and Fitness Center is sponsoring an election fair on the lawn near Agate Street, south of Hamilton Complex, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Strauss said the elections board has high goals for voter turnout.
“This year we’re doing 10 times more than years in the past,” Strauss said. “Ten times is an exaggeration, but we’re taking it farther because we have a very ambitious goal of a 25 percent voter turnout … I think that, obviously due to reasons beyond our control, everything has been crunched down. But we’ve definitely made every effort we can to increase voter turnout and make our goals and make sure all of the students know what’s going on and get a chance to get out there and vote.”
Strauss stressed the importance of students voting in the election, pointing out that student government leaders have a role in allocating millions of student dollars every year.
Last year, only 15.22 percent of students voted in the primary election, and the year before 15.3 percent voted in the primary and 10.5 percent voted in the general election.
“If they don’t get out there and vote they’re not getting their voices heard, they’re not choosing somebody that will represent their interests,” Strauss said.
Voters can access DuckWeb through the main University Web site, http://www.uoregon.edu. After logging onto DuckWeb, click on Student Menu and a link for 2004 ASUO Elections will appear. Voting for the primary election begins at 9 a.m. today and ends at 5 p.m. Wednesday.