The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

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Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor, send us an op-ed pitch or check out our open positions for the chance to be published by the Daily Utah Chronicle.
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ASUU hopes changes in elections will encourage many candidates to apply

Those interested in becoming the next student body president at the U need to apply by Friday.

Chase Lindsey, ASUU elections registrar who oversees the campaigns, said the election season will kick off with a few changes, all intended to level the playing field.

“We want to be very open to students of all backgrounds,” he said. “We want to make sure that we have a diverse candidate pool that represents the student body well.”

The biggest change is that candidates can no longer run for senior class president. There will now be two vice president positions instead of one: vice president of university relations, who will work directly with U administrators, and vice president of student relations, who will organize resources for undergraduates. The senior class president’s responsibilities, which included planning campus traditions, will be incorporated into the Campus Events Board.

Another adjustment to elections is the GPA requirement. Last year candidates were required to have a 3.0, which has been lowered to a 2.8 this year. Legislative members of ASUU approved the change in April. This is the first election cycle to which it applies.

Lindsey, a senior in finance, said the measure is intended to make running for office open to more students and that it’s working so far. There are nine candidates currently interested, three more than filed last year for president, vice president and senior class president.

Those candidates will benefit from extra funds funneled into elections this season. After initially passing the ASUU Senate, the Assembly voted in favor of a bill Tuesday night to allocate an extra $15,000 to assist with marketing for all candidates in the race. The money comes from student government’s general budget.

“We don’t want there to be a financial barrier for students to be able to run,” Lindsey said. “We want all students — those who come from all backgrounds, resources and needs — to be able to run for office.”

Sana Muller, legislative advisor, said that in the current advertising budget for election $5,000 is intended for ASUU’s campaign marketing, such as posters telling students to vote online, and the other $15,000 will be spread out to help individual candidates and parties.

For Lindsey, another important amendment to elections this year, one he hopes will cut out any conflicts of interest, is that students currently involved in ASUU must step down from their positions to run. This new requirement, which doesn’t apply to legislators seeking another term, means anyone in student government cannot run as an executive candidate if they hold any position in the organization.

“We recognize that students who are in this office have access to resources and groups and volunteers,” he said. “[It’s to] make sure that fair is fair.”

To counterbalance any issues this may perceivably cause, Lindsey has instituted a longer campaigning period. All candidates will have three weeks instead of two to spread the word about the election during Spring Semester.

The executive positions, which require applications to be submitted by 5 p.m. Friday, are president, both vice presidents and attorney general. All filing materials can be found at asuu.utah.edu/boards/elections-registrar. Those interested in running for ASUU Assembly or Senate need to apply by Dec. 4.

Executive candidates must run as a full ticket, meaning one president and two vice presidents, to qualify. The three must collectively pay a $450 fee to file, which will be refunded at the end of the election. The attorney general position is independent and does not run with a party.

Those with questions can email Lindsey directly at [email protected] or attend the final information session and Q&A today at 6 p.m. in the Union (room 319).

“Whatever you’d like to do,” he said, “you can impact and influence real, positive change through this office.”

[email protected]


@CourtneyLTanner

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