DeKALB | In response to low turnout for recent student elections, the Student Association is adding a fourth polling place.

Next spring, students will be able to vote for SA and Campus Activity Board executives in the Campus Recreation Center, in addition to DuSable Hall, Founders Memorial Library and the Holmes Student Center.

The original proposed amendment would have created a new polling station in the Rec as well as a three-year test to find another high-traffic polling area. The plan would have placed a polling place in Barsema Hall in 2007, the Music Building in 2008 and the Engineering Building in 2009. The temporary polling places would replace the one in the library and after three years, the one with the highest attendance would become permanent.

Dion Smith, CAB president and District 3 senator, asked to amend the bill so it would only include the new polling place in the Rec, retain the one in the library and remove floating polling stations. He said only recent elections have had low turnouts at the library, and four sites would be best.

Smith said the Rec has an attendance of 2,000 people a day and is capable of holding an election.

Adam Novotney, SA president, said the cost of each card reader required for the elections is about $1,500, and of recommended polling places, Barsema Hall was the only one that was really feasible.

Putting polling stations in academic buildings might also be disruptive to the academic process, Novotney said. He said it would also annoy a lot of professors who would have to deal with elections going on.

Novotney said the money for the proposed three-year plan could be better used in other areas.

“I would rather have the money go to student legal services than a mobile polling station that will confuse the hell out of people,” Novotney said.

The senate voted to amend the constitution to include a fourth polling place in the Rec and retain the one in the library.

David Arndt was appointed as the newest member of the senate. Only 12 senators voted — 10 voted in favor of Arndt, two against — and a majority of the senate abstained from voting.

The senate also approved the Nation of Islam Student Association as a new student organization.

Mike Orescanin, a District 4 senator, said they seem very service-oriented and have brought a lot of great names to campus.