What goes into planning an ASUI election?
For me, the planning really has two parts. The first part is supporting the candidates. We help explain election packets and rules and all the paperwork the candidates need to fill out. We communicate what the rules are, so they know what they are and aren’t allowed to do while campaigning.
We give them campaign tips and suggestions. We show them what past candidates have done. We do this so they know they can feel comfortable and supported in the process.
Mackenzie Lawrence | Courtesy
The second part of that is creating the forums and different opportunities for the candidates to interact with the student body. We want to do this so that the student body can get to know the people they’ll be voting for best.
What are the guidelines for candidates during election season?
People interested in learning all the specific rules can find them in ASUI’s governing documents on the ASUI webpage.
Our biggest focus is making sure candidates understand the rules during campaigning. We want to reinforce the fact that campaigning can’t happen outside the general rules of university policies. Those are important and we don’t want to be disruptive to the university community during campaign season.
We don’t really want students spending a lot of money on these campaigns, but we know there are things that cost. Senators can spend up to $500 and president/vice president pairs can spend up to $1,000.
The other piece of the guidelines is what the different positions are and how people can begin campaigning for those positions. Students have to get a petition signed by 25 students to run for Senate and 50 signatures from UI students to run on a presidential and vice-presidential ticket.
What has voter turnout typically been like in past elections?
The most recent fall election had one of the higher turnouts we have seen in a while. We saw around 1,500 votes last year.
Voter turnout is always lower than we would like of course. It’s typically difficult to get students to engage. But with the things we are doing to get students involved, we are trying to counteract that.
How can students vote this year?
On Monday, April 1, students should check their student emails. There will be a link to the ballot in there. Students should just click on the link and vote.
It’s really simple and could take five minutes or less.
The ballot will close at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 3.
When will students know their new president and vice president?
We are planning to announce the leaders after the Senate meeting Wednesday, April 3 at about 8:30 p.m. in the Rotunda in the Idaho Commons.
We will definitely post a lot about the election results on ASUI’s social media pages. I encourage all students to follow those.
Students can find ASUI on Instagram and Twitter at @ASUIDAHO.