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Voter information guides are meant to be informative, not misleading. Last week, the UCSD College Democrats distributed a voter guide on campus, listing their endorsements for various positions and propositions.
We at the Guardian, however, find the guide grossly misleading. The front of the guide says, “”UCSD Student Voter Guide, Election Day, November 7th 2000″” and includes an official UCSD logo.
The logo, which abstractly resembles Geisel Library, is generally used side-by-side with the name UCSD. We feel that it was misused, leading students to believe that the guide was prepared by the university or the A.S. Council.
The back of the guide includes endorsements, listing and endorsing the Democratic candidates for president, U.S. senator, U.S. representative, state senator and state assembly. It also made recommendations on the eight propositions. “”Paid for by UCSD College Democrats”” is printed at the very bottom of the endorsements, as well as a Web address for the College Democrats.
The Guardian feels that the College Democrats should not mislead students. “”UCSD Student Voter Guide”” is extremely vague, and the name does not even offer students a hint that the guide was paid for by a partisan student group.
The front of the voter guide should have been appropriately labeled, making it clear that the guide was put out by the UCSD College Democrats, and not made or paid for by the university.
Others apparently felt the same way.
On election day, members of the UCSD College Democrats passed out their voting recommendations, this time with the name of the organization handwritten on the top of the front of the guide. We appreciate their straightforwardness in making the correction, but feel they should not have tried to get away with the original flyer in the first place.
The United States Student Association, on the other hand, distributed a more appropriate student voter guide, one that the College Democrats should have emulated. The name of the organization is printed on every page of the guide, including the front. It did not mislead, nor misrepresent anyone. The Guardian applauds USSA for making an effort to inform students in an honest way.
