Council Disappointed By Low Voter Turnout

They postered, they tabled, they knocked on doors. But despite the Undergraduate Council's efforts, less then 400 students voted in this week's referendum to raise the council's term-bill fee.

One hundred ninety-three students voted in favor of the referendum, which asked whether students were willing to double the optional $20 council fee that appears on their term bills. One hundred seventy-four students elected to keep the fee the same.

The referendum ran through the uc-vote program from Monday to Wednesday. Council President Noah Z. Seton '00 officially announced the results yesterday over the uc-general e-mail list.

Seton said that due to the closeness of the vote, the council will not be taking action on the issue anytime soon.

"We'll have to go back to the drawing board," he said.

Although a majority voted in favor of the referendum, the low number of voters basically nullifies the results. According to the council's constitution, turnout for a binding referendum must be at least as high as that for council elections--this year, 18 percent of the student body.

"I'm a little disappointed that there weren't more people voting," Seton said of the low turnout.

Council Executive Board member John Paul Rollert '00 agreed.

"It's promising to see that a majority voted in favor, but of course, without getting the numbers we can't put forth any legislation," he said.

Rollert said he hopes the council will reconsider the issue, saying the increase would be "in the best interest of student groups."

"It may be something we will have to try again next year and run concurrent with the elections in the fall," Rollert suggested.

But some suggest the low turnout may have been due to poor publicity rather than voter apathy.

"I didn't know anything about the referendum," said Marshall D. Perrin '00, an Eliot House resident. "I've seen no posters around Eliot or around the Yard."