Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: Forum

Since last summer, the Associated Student Government has been working to improve voter turnout in its presidential elections. Initiatives to increase interest within the student body have included flyers, candidate forums and Facebook.com groups.

But the solution to undergraduate apathy is neither a barrage of neon signs in Norris nor a record number of "Maybe Attending" responses to a Facebook event. If it wants students to run for office, ASG needs to prove its decisions and actions matter.

Last year, only 38 percent of the student body voted to elect Jon Webber as ASG's president. Only the presidential race was contested, leaving the voters to choose between a single candidate or vote "no confidence" for the offices of the executive vice president, social services vice president and administrative vice president to be decided without a vote.

Small candidate pools are not only a result of student disinterest. They also contribute to the notion that ASG is a joke. Why fill out a ballot when almost everything has been decided?

A widespread perception that ASG fails to accomplish anything meaningful permeates every corner of campus. If they even know ASG exists, many Northwestern undergraduates assume it yields no real influence over student life.

The best thing ASG can do to increase voter turnout is increase its visibility on campus by taking credit for its accomplishments and pushing for new ones.

Despite constant scrutiny and criticism (both fair and undeserved), ASG has facilitated many important changes that impact the lives of NU undergraduates. For instance, students now have the option to trade meals for points if they select the right meal plan. They also get Martin Luther King Day off from school. Both of these luxuries were made possible in part by ASG lobbying.

Until students realize that ASG can make significant changes in their daily lives, elections will continue to lack candidates and voters.

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