Packets to apply for ASUI Senate positions go out Oct.5, and the corresponding campaign election process will follow suit. The process will remain roughly the same as previous years despite COVID-19 regulations, according to Lydia McRoberts, this year’s election coordinator.
“The voting will still be on your personal computer, so it will be sent to your email just like usual,” McRoberts said. “The only things that were in-person before were the candidate meetings and the senate open forums. The candidate meetings will have a hybrid option of either showing up in person or over Zoom. The senate open forums will be all virtual.”
All candidates are required to attend one open forum, an event where the candidates answer questions in a group discussion format.
There are seven seats opening this fall. There is no term limit for returning senators, so newcomers and returning senators can run against each other.
Lauren Carlsen, president of ASUI, advises new senate candidates attach their campaign to a platform and be persistent in reaching out to the student body.
“Come up with some ideas of what you want to do instead of just saying you’re interested,” Carlsen said. “It gives a lot more direction of where you are going if you were to be put in that position.”
Kallyn Mai, a current ASUI senator, focused her campaign strategy on bridging gaps between different groups of students and focusing on resource availability.
“I really focused on making a connection between the dorm and residence hall life with Greek life, filling that gap and creating connection with our students on campus there,” Mai said. “That was something I was really passionate about. I wanted to make resources widely available, just random resources that our campus offers. I wanted to make our students aware of those.”
This year, both Carlsen and Mai expect new or returning senators to run on COVID-19-based platforms. Mai said all candidates should be prepared to discuss COVID-19 plans.
All candidates are encouraged to be active on social media and focus on reaching out to diverse groups of students.
“I had a Facebook group, my campaign was on my personal social media sites and I just blasted it out there,” Mai said. “I said, ‘here are my platforms, here are the dates to vote,’ advertising when the open forums are so people can come and support you or ask you questions about your campaign… Don’t be afraid of doing that, either. Running a campaign seems pretty scary and overwhelming, but it’s really not. Just be creative with it, just be confident with it.”
Election packets will be due Oct. 26, which will coincide with a mandatory candidate in-person or Zoom meeting in the Department of Student Involvement’s Office.
Carter Kolpitcke can be reached at [email protected].