UF's Student Senate is expected to vote Tuesday night on an election reform measure that would allow student government to do away with paper ballots and switch to an electronic voting system.
The bill, written by Senate President Micah Lewis, has been in the works for the past few months. It is expected to eliminate issues like double voting, which was exposed when three people - including ex-senators - publicized their casting of multiple votes in the Spring 2011 elections. They wrote in the name of a historical figure rather than voting for a candidate.
Unlike electronic elections at other universities, which are held online, UF's will still be held at secured on-campus locations. Though an online system might seem more convenient, Lewis said, there's no way to ensure students' votes aren't being swayed by candidates through rewards or peer pressure.
At a meeting Friday, Lewis said the voting locations themselves are currently undetermined. Because the new system could allow students to vote at any polling location, SG would have the flexibility to decrease the number of polling locations on campus.
Senate's legislative bills only require a majority vote to pass.
