After voter turnout dropped from five percent to barely two percent from the 2005 to 2006 elections, the Student Association Senate is considering a resolution to support Internet voting, starting as early as this fall.

In an effort to increase student turnout, the SA Senate will vote on the resolution Sunday at its 6 p.m. meeting in the Holmes Student Center’s Clara Sperling Sky Room.

However, a slew of problems occurred after the University of Wisconsin-Madison adopted its own Internet voting system in 1999. Blake Klinkner, an NIU political science graduate instructor and UWM alumnus, recalled controversy that surrounded Internet voting at his alma mater.

“Occasionally, a system loss of data would occur, and all the votes would ‘magically’ disappear or be erased,” Klinkner said.

Pauly Pfieffer, a student election commissioner for the Associated Students of Madison, said UWM has utilized Internet-based elections since 1999. In eight years of use, the Internet voting system has been plagued with problems.

During the 2006 election, computer errors caused the Madison election to be invalidated twice, before the ASM – UWM’s version of the SA – resorted to paper ballots. At first, 22 percent of UWM students voted on a referendum attached to the initial ballot, but after two failed Internet elections, only three percent voted on the final paper ballot.

Numerous students reacted to this controversy by posting comments to UWM’s Badger Herald Web site, saying a conspiracy was behind election problems.

In the past, student political parties at UWM used the Internet voting system to their advantage by hosting unofficial polling places at local bars to influence students to vote for their party.

The SA plans to work with Information Technology Services to prevent such problems from taking place at NIU, such as by limiting student voting to ITS computer labs. However, it was the UW Department of Information Technology – UWM’s ITS equivalent – that managed the problematic 2006 election.

Senate Speaker Robert Batey and Brent West, SA information technology director, are sponsors of the resolution, and stated that the proposed Internet system will be safe. Other SA members are critical of an Internet-based system.

“If a bill ever came up for online voting, I would definitely veto it,” said SA President Adam Novotney.

Until local, state and federal elections switch to such a system, Novotney said he would feel “insecure” with an Internet-based voting system.

Some senators echoed Novotney’s concerns.

“I’m voting against it because the system is vulnerable to issues such as voter fraud,” said Brett Kryska, SA District 4 senator.

Kryska was most troubled by the lack of a material trail in an Internet system.

“I think that’s the most troubling issue here,” he said. “How are we to know that results aren’t tampered with or manipulated?”

West, who would implement the resolution if it passes, felt confident that the voting system would be free of tampering.

“I could care less who they vote for,” he said, “I just want them to vote; I want more numbers.”