City, SGA debate on how to bring polling center back to campus
Central Michigan University is the only university in the state without a polling place on its campus, said alumnus and Mount Pleasant resident Matt Mertz.
"I used to vote at Moore Hall," he said. "I think that stopped around '78 or '80. (The administration) would say people didn't vote on campus."
Mertz recalls the administration's comment was true, but says Mount Pleasant had 14 polling places during that time. Now, the city has seven.
The Student Government Association's Governmental Affairs Committee is writing legislation pushing for the return of a polling place to campus to promote student voting.
SGA senator and Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Jake Hendricks is writing the legislation and says community polling places may be a hassle for students with busy schedules.
The legislation will be introduced and discussed at the SGA meeting on March 19 with a vote to take place as early as the March 26 meeting.
Hendricks also said SGA will be pushing for support from CMU as an institution and community to strengthen their power to bring the resolution to the Mount Pleasant City Commission.
Mertz thinks the organization is going about the issue in the wrong order, he said.
"They should be asking the city," Mertz said. "The university has no control over it whatsoever."
Mertz said SGA should be guaranteed implementation of its resolution by the city before it takes any other action.
CMU student and Mount Pleasant City Commissioner William Joseph supports the legislation, but shares Mertz's opinion regarding SGA's planned method of application if the resolution passes in the organization.
Joseph stressed the importance of a good relationship between SGA and the City Commission, commenting on SGA's current lack of a City Commission liaison and saying the liaison is a key component in the communication and relationship between the commission and SGA.
"There's a lot of levers to pull in order to get this to happen," he said. "They need to fill (the City Commission liaison position). If they don't, the governmental affairs committee is going to need to advocate more."
Joseph said if SGA gets the City Commission to consider the resolution, it would have his vote, but also added, "one vote out of seven doesn't get anything done."
Farwell senior Abigail Averill said not having a polling place on campus gives the impression officials don't care about the student vote.
“Where we have voting offices is a key indicator of what (the city’s) priorities are," she said. "Whose opinions do we care about?"
Novi senior Sara Hammelef doesn't think a polling place on campus is necessary.
"The only people a polling place on campus would be advantageous to would be people who live in Mount Pleasant," she said. "I don't know this, but I'm pretty sure that's not the majority of students. Obviously there are students who live here that this would be advantageous to, but that population is very small.”
