Currently in the process of selecting an election system for Paly, the student council needs student input to help determine its verdict.

To address an unresolved conflict over the method used to elect its officers, the student council randomly polled 75 students waiting in line for their food at the All-School Barbeque on Mar. 10 during lunch.

In light of the second semester elections, two new voting systems were introduced and put to trial. The online election, which was administered during the week before Winter Break, was later deemed inequitable by former student body president senior Anique Drumright because not all students had access to the Internet. To obtain more accurate and representative results, the entire student council agreed to conduct a more conventional election. Arranging booths in front of the library during lunch periods, the council supervised a three-day election in which students could opt either to vote or not to vote.

However, the overall voter turnout fell extremely short of the student council’s expectations. It had hoped for a minimum turnout of 25% of the total student body population. The quad election saw 425 voters, while the online election had only 365 unique visitors.

The randomly dispensed survey allowed the student council to analyze some statistics. A reported 18 out of the 75 people used the electronic voting system while the other 57 people did not. 29 people used the quad voting system and 46 people did not. According to the data the student council collected, 16 people preferred the electronic system, 26 people preferred the quad system, 3 people preferred the old in-class system, and 30 people cited that they had no opinion on the issue.

The student council also wanted to assess the competence of their advertisement of candidates running for positions. As indicated by the responses from the survey, 40 people got their information about the candidates from InFocus, 39 people from their peers, 30 from fliers and posters, 22 from the candidates themselves, 13 from The Paly Voice and 9 from The Campanile.

Among the comments the student council received from the barbecue survey, were statements like “No motivation to vote!” and “You guys need a get-together or promotion to get us to go vote.” The general consensus was that voting in social studies classes on paper would be most effective for the whole student body. Many survey participants urged the student council to revert to its old voting procedure.

Having gathered this feedback, the student council wishes to settle on a permanent voting system that best suits the school. The council welcomes any comments that may assist their decision.

“Our goal is to encourage as many people as we can to vote,” said current student body president sophomore Mohammed Abid, who was named the undisputed winner of the quad election. “We need to choose which system is best for Paly.”