Five student body president candidates are using the Internet to display their entire platforms to help promote their goals, debates and one-on-one communication.

Mitch Danforth, an SBP candidate and senior in civil engineering, said campaign Web sites help to inform students about candidate’s ideas and platforms in a way that casual one-on-one communication can’t provide.

“When you talk to someone in person, they can’t get the full idea of the platform,” he said.

Kate Luckadoo, a junior in communication, said her Web site will be significant in making sure students understand her stance on certain issues.

“The page is designed for students to get to know me and my goals,” she said.

Josh Weeks, a junior in mechanical engineering, said although students can hear him speak for a few minutes somewhere, or see one of the debates, the Web site is the only place voters can see all of his platform points in detail.

“The Web site is something very important for candidates to have, so that there’s some outlet for the entire platform,” Weeks said.

Adam Compton, student body treasurer, said he added a blog feature to his Web site to encourage students to visit the Web site more often and provide another way to focus on the campaign.

“We’re able to have students ask questions,” Compton, a junior in construction engineering and management, said.

According to Bobby Mills, a sophomore in political science, students who look at his platform on his Web site will realize he has one of the most developed platforms.

“I have an issue and then I explain how I’m going to do it,” he said. “I don’t just have an issue.”

Student Government elections have not always included campaign Web sites and electronic voting. SBP candidates discuss the influence of this media upon the election process.

Compton said with voting completely online and face-to-face interaction declining, campus elections are becoming more electronically-based.

“[The Internet has] made student government elections not as personable as they used to be, but it’s hard to be personable with 31,000 students,” he said.

Mills said Internet voting has been beneficial in voter turnout. He said this increased voter participation could be in response to the various electronic methods candidates have to remind students to vote: textmessaging, e-mail and Facebook.

According to Luckadoo, campaign Web sites allow a wider range of students to gain a greater understanding of what each candidate stands for.

“Since we can’t reach everyone personally during our campaigning, the Web site bridges the gap,” she said.

Danforth said Web sites improve candidate accountability because candidates can’t go back on what they promised since students have the detailed platform.

“They can communicate those details so well online,” he said.

Weeks said one big obstacle candidates face concerning their Web sites is traffic.

He said he’s been monitoring the traffic on his Web site and said he has had a decent number of visitors, but there are 30,000 students on campus.

“A big challenge is getting people to go to your Web site,” Weeks said. “But without one, there’s no way for those people to really get to know you or get to know any of your ideas.”