Polls will be open today until 6 p.m. for the 2004 Homecoming Court and Mr. and Miss MSU. Each student will be able to cast a vote for his or her class, Homecoming queen and Mr. and Miss MSU. Results will be announced tonight.
The Student Association will employ its online voting system again for the elections.
“Students will be able to vote in The Union ballroom and the conference room to the right of the hand scanner in the Sanderson Center,” said Mary E. Brown, SA elections commissioner.
Voting will take place on desktop computers in each location. Students will have their MSU ID card swiped before logging into BannerWeb to vote.
Brown said there were no problems with the previous electronic election.
“We moved the computers from the Dawg House to the ballroom to accommodate more people,” said Debbie Fulton, director of information systems.
Jon David Cole, attorney general for the SA, said Homecoming Court members represent the makeup of the student body to those who are not at MSU and serve as a public face for the students.
“Voting in Homecoming elections is important because it is a manifestation of what MSU is really about,” Cole said.
This year the SA decided to host a session that would give students a chance to meet the Homecoming candidates. Candidates were introduced to the student body in front of The Union Friday, said Jennifer Glaze, SA student activities coordinator.
“We wanted the candidates to be able to interact with the students,” Glaze said. “We tried to get away from voting for ‘just who you know.’ This Homecoming court represents the student body, so we want everybody’s input.”
Students were able to talk with the candidates and eat snacks from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday. Glaze said the biggest turnout of voters and candidates was between class periods.
“This event was a success and we hope it catches on and improves every year,” she said.
Homecoming candidates are not allowed to campaign for themselves. They are only allowed to participate in SA-sponsored campaigning events, according to the SA constitution.
Glaze said this policy was the reason for the meet-and-greet session.
Class representatives, the Homecoming queen and Mr. and Miss MSU will be presented during the Homecoming parade Oct. 8 and at halftime during the football game against UAB Oct. 9.