Our Opinion

Election code needs revision

WITH ASSOCIATED STUDENTS elections coming up, candidates for a number of offices have officially kicked off their campaigns.

Thanks to the election code that governs the races, the period of “formal campaigning” ranges from the time of the official candidates meeting, which took place last week, and the final day of the election, which this year is April 6.

This policy means that the full campaign cycle is about two and a half weeks.

While AS has sought to provide several forums for candidates to discuss their platforms, such as the upcoming presidential debate in the Free Speech Area, these are insufficient for campaigns to actually address each other’s platforms and positions and create well-crafted message.

Furthermore, the elections code restricts the size and placement of campaign materials.

Candidate posters may be no larger than 11 inches by 17 inches, according to section 3.10.1 of the code.

These posters may only be placed on a single bulletin board, and then candidates are restricted to one per board.

All these posted items must be approved by the AS election commission before they can be distributed.

While there is a legitimate concern in allowing candidates to post unlimited materials anywhere, these limitations hamper the ability of candidates to get their names and messages out to the voting student body.

In order to generate more interest in AS elections and activities, candidates need to adopt new and exciting messages and campaign techniques.

It is important that the AS Senate revise these rules by the next election cycle to help allow for more exciting campaigns and increase student interest.

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