For the first time, students at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill will be able to vote in their student government elections on online.

Students who voted in today’s student elections were able to cast their ballots on studentlife.unc.edu, a website the university paid for two years ago.

While embracing the digital age may seem like a great step forward, but the change has the candidates scared it will diminish voter turnout.

The new website requires registration, which was not an issue with the previous voting tool ConnectCarolina. The three candidates fear that the extra step of registering will turn away voters.

Shruthi Sundaram, chairwoman of the Board of Elections, said studentlife.unc.edu wouldn’t decrease voter turnout because it’s actually easier to use than ConnectCarolina. The registration process is quick and simple, she said.

She also told the Tar Heel that 6,391 students have already registered on the site. Last year, 7,105 students voted in the student body president general election, Sundaram said.

Tony Patterson, senior associate director of student life and activities, said one extra step won’t reduce turnout for students already taking the initiative to vote.

“If people are going to vote, this will not stop them from voting,” he said.

Patterson said he hopes requiring students to vote on studentlife.unc.edu will encourage more students to explore the website and begin using it in their daily lives.

Candidates were responsible for publicizing the transition and for encouraging voters to register on the site so they could vote.