The ASUI Senate rejected a bill Wednesday forbidding the use of images in official ASUI ballots.
The bill’s failure came after some senators said they felt some students voted for ASUI Senators based on their “attractiveness.”
Sen. Jesse Smith sponsored the bill, written by Sen. Sam Harrich, that would have forbidden the use of image of pictorial representation bearing the likeness of a candidate.
“I cannot tell you how many people told me ‘I voted for you, and all the hot girls’,” Smith said. “I think that’s something a lot of guys did.”
Sen. Faustine Moulton stood in opposition of the bill, saying pictures are a lot more than voting on attractiveness of candidates.
Sen. Kristin Nesbitt also opposed the bill, saying ASUI already has a hard time getting students to vote. If the body makes voting any more difficult, she said she fears they might just lose them.
Sens. Harrich, Erik Nelson, Smith and Hannah Spear were in favor of the bill. The rest of the 15-person body stood against it.
In other news, the Senate passed a bill that will allocate $250 for the purchase and implementation of board games in the library. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Mete Yuksel, will provide funding for Sen. Erik Nelson’s project and will permanently connect ASUI to the project. The board games will be available for checkout in the library.
The Senate also passed resolutions recognizing Senators Samragyee Gautum, Ramon Juarez, Jesse Smith, Ismael Mendoza, Erik Nelson, Teja Sunku and Mete Yuksel for their contributions to the Senate and the student body in the fall semester.
ASUI President Nicole Skinner updated the Senate on projects including a project with Dasyre Sires to aid students who have dropped out of school. The hope for the project is that it will help raise retention and put a focus on mental health.
Skinner also said that she has been sitting in on VandalStar meetings. Skinner is currently looking for student input on experiences with VandalStar and encouraged students to reach out of her.
ASUI Chief of Staff Sean Collins and Director of Student Involvement Shawn O’Neal thanked the senate for their work in the past semester.
“I hope that you have accomplished something that means something to you,” said O’Neal. “That is very important to me.”
Ellamae Burnell can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @EllamaeBurnell
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect words used in the contents of the bill to avoid confusion.