ASUU leaders recently appointed student government veteran Dave Martini to serve as the elections registrar for the 2007-2008 school year, marking the start of the election process.
The elections registrar is charged with overseeing and regulating all student government elections.
Martini’s experience serving on boards and legislative bodies in the Associated Students of the University of Utah, as well as his time as a candidate in the 2006 elections, qualifies him for the job, said Student Body President Spencer Pearson.
“We feel like he could relate well with the candidates,” Pearson said. “He’s also very level-headed and fair, good at hearing people out and doesn’t get stressed.”
Martini served as Student Services director on the Executive Cabinet last year. He was also General Assembly parliamentarian prior to that position and has worked as an associate director for several boards.
In the 2006 elections, Martini ran for vice president with Lindsey Sine, who now works as opinion editor at The Daily Utah Chronicle. The two ultimately lost to BLOC Party candidates Jake Kirkham and Toby Collett.
Martini said he knows what the candidates will go through.
“I’ve been in their shoes, and I can give helpful hints within my capacity,” he said.
Candidates will not be able to file until the end of January or early February, but Martini said he is encouraging parties to file early so that students who want to get involved in the elections will know whom to contact.
His main goal for the elections, he said, is to “look out for the safety of the candidates” in the long and often tiring election process.
“We are students first, and we need to make sure that (the candidates’) health is strong,” Martini said.
Martini might make changes to elections rules, but he would not say what the specific changes could be.
Currently, he is in the process of drafting an elections packet with all campaign information and regulations.
With the help of the technology board, he hopes to post election rules from Redbook, the student constitution, online at www.asuu.utah.edu by this Friday.