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As the undergraduate student government elections head to the World Wide Web for the first time in UCLA’s history, slates find themselves in new territory – the likeliness of a larger voter turnout.

The three slates competing for positions in this year’s Undergraduate Students Association Council’s elections have refined their campaign strategies before students begin to log on to their MyUCLA accounts and cast their final votes next week.

Most candidates said they are indeed expecting a higher voter turnout due to the elections being online this year.

Council voted to have the elections online during fall quarter after the success of the USAC fee referendum vote in October. More students voted in the referendum election than in the last two general elections. A large percentage of students also voted during the time periods when a paper ballot was not available.

The change in voting method is a factor that candidates with slate affiliation said they will consider when they begin campaigning.

For some candidates, it will make campaigning a little more difficult.

“This year, we can’t just pack up each night, we have to constantly be campaigning,” said Matt Kaczmarek, the external vice presidential candidate from the Students First! slate.

When students voted with a paper ballot, there was not a big distance between the campaigning areas where slates distributed written material and voting location, but now there is, Kaczmarek said.

To compensate for this, he said it is important that students have access to public computers on campus. Still, it is likely that most students will vote at home and First! will have to accommodate for it, Kaczmarek added.

The slate is building momentum for the elections by focusing on the issues like fighting student fee increases, said Students First! presidential candidate Anica McKesey.

Other candidates said the new voting system would affect their campaigns to a lesser extent.

“There might be some changes, like increased campaigning at the edge of campus and closer to students’ homes,” said Adam Harmetz, the presidential candidate from the Students United for Reform and Equality slate.

Despite the changes it would cause, S.U.R.E. candidates still felt online voting would benefit their slate the most.

The higher the voter turnout, the more S.U.R.E. will benefit because it is the more moderate slate that represents the views of most students, Harmetz said.

“We are more moderate in that we don’t require ideologies to get involved,” Harmetz said. “We have a broad spectrum of views.”

But candidates from the other slates contested that they are also in favor of the higher voter turnout because they too would be representing all students on campus.

“I definitely hope that more students come out and vote ... (it) gives more validity to the councilmembers,” McKesey said.

McKesey added that the issues First! is concerned with are issues students care about.

“We seek the input of the average student as well as student organizations,” she said.

Candidates from the newest slate, United Independents, agreed their goal was to increase student representation on council.

“Our slate demands each candidate provide whole representation,” said U.I. presidential candidate Andrew LaFlamme.

Members of all three slates said they are attempting to be more inclusive this year.

“I am an example of that. ... I am not affiliated with a specific student group,” said Kaczmarek.

In the past a majority of First! candidates have been associated more with student groups, but this year more candidates are associated with the office itself, Kaczmarek added.

First! also changed its name from Student Empowerment! to be more inclusive, McKesey said.

Other slates simply said that they would be sticking to the basics of campaigning.

“The fundamentals are the same; we need to shake hands, get to know people and give a face to student government,” said S.U.R.E. internal vice presidential candidate Gideon Baum.

U.I. candidates shared the same sentiment.

“Our campaign still involves developing relationships in the community,” LaFlamme said.