The time has come for ASUU Elections once again. The Associated Students of the University of Utah, our student government, holds student elections February-March of each year. Elections can be confusing if you’re not within the process, so below is some information about elections, and why you should vote.
Starting February 18th, you’ll start seeing promotional marketing for parties and individuals running in the election. Before that time, parties and individuals are not allowed to promote themselves or their campaign. Marketing can be in the form of posters, lawn signs, banners, flyers, and individuals tabling in common spaces.
Attending debates is a good way to see where candidates stand on issues, how prepared they are/are not for office, and their knowledge about the different roles within ASUU and their functions; two of these debates will be scheduled this spring. The first will be a debate held on February 28th at 6 PM in the Union, a partnership with the Hinckley Institute of Politics. The second will be with the Residence Hall Association, time and date have still yet to be announced.
Voting opens March 3rd, and closes on the 9th. Students vote within the CIS main page, with a section labeled as such. Usually, this box is towards the left side of the screen. Results are announced March 10th.
I was able to sit down with Chase Grover, this year’s Elections Registrar. Speaking for both himself and ASUU, Chase stated, “we are really excited about this election year because of the new Independent Legislative system.” The changes he refers to are how legislative candidates (Assembly and Senate), now run independently from the parties founded by a presidential candidate and two vice president candidates. Legislative candidates can no longer align themselves with a party. Additionally, he spoke about how these changes “will benefit the entire student body by attracting a diverse range of students from all over campus who are truly interested in representing their colleges to the best of their ability. We believe this is a step in a better direction for ASUU and are excited for the changes to come”. These changes are designed to attract legislative candidates who are passionate about the position and the Assembly/Senate process.
Chase continued on, discussing that ASUU wants “to make students excited to participate in the elections process and eager to learn more about the important issues ASUU covers on a daily basis.” Students are often not aware of many aspects of ASUU, and Chase wants to inspire people to be interested in elections and spread the word about how fast elections are approaching. ASUU elections are important to all students, both undergraduate and graduate students; a common misconception about ASUU elections is that your vote doesn’t matter. After being a student on this campus for many years, and being involved within ASUU, I can say that that is completely untrue. At the end of elections, numbers are published on how many votes each party and each candidate received. Especially with legislative positions, votes can be tied or have a difference of only one vote. If you care about the student leadership at this school, let your voice be heard. Voting is extremely easy and accessible, and doesn’t take too much time.
To find out more information, such as how many individuals will be running in elections representing your college, visit the link below. More information on parties and specific individuals will be available as it is released.