Letter To The Editor

I hereby withdraw from the University Council election in protest. My decision is based on two issues. The scheduling of the election has given no time for the UB community to properly meet the candidates. And the doing away with physical polling places makes voting unnecessarily difficult.

I have written to election coordinators about these concerns, and against my wishes, the election is underway, and my name appears on the ballot as a willing candidate.

I was informed via e-mail that the election would take place exclusively on-line only three days before the election was to take place. There have been no forums or debates scheduled. No advertisement was placed in The Spectrum. Nor have advertisements been placed anywhere else on campus to let the community know that an election is to take place. Wednesday's Spectrum has two articles about the election. One states the election may be rescheduled for April 25 and 26. The other states that the election has been rescheduled. This confusion alone makes the election [Thursday] and [today] untenable, as this is the only public announcement made to the community.

I also object to the decision to rid this election of physical voting places. Students are expected, against all common sense, to stand in computer lab lines to vote. These lines are already long in anticipation of finals. Students are also expected to type in a voting address that describes the election as a "survey" and one associated with the "med" school. The address is not self-evident, and it is difficult to remember. There is no mention made of the University Council. An on-line election is an excellent democratic tool, but it cannot replace designated terminals for voting. Voting terminals at North and South Campus and at Roswell are essential to a fair process. There is no good reason for the removal of voting stations in this election.

I cannot, in all good conscience, participate in an election that does not meet basic requirements for a fair and democratic process. Unless the election process is rescheduled (and properly advertised) and voting terminals made available to voters, I must insist that my name be removed from the ballot.