SA officials encourage fellow members to pass election running mate bill

Every November, students log on to MySlice to select the next president, comptroller and home college assembly representatives for the Student Association. Every year, the question is raised: “How do we vote for vice president?” The answer? You don’t.

The SA vice president is supposed to represent the entire student body. Although the vice president is the second highest-ranking officer in SA, the president-elect appoints the VP. Although students should be able trust the decision of their newly elected president, we believe they should have a voice in choosing the vice president.

Under the bill proposed by President Allie Curtis and Vice President Duane Ford, prospective presidential candidates would have to name running mates prior to formally announcing their candidacy. The presidential and vice presidential candidates would campaign as a team, collect 500 signatures from the student body and then jointly submit their letter of intent and interview with the Board of Elections. This would also provide the vice presidential candidates an opportunity to debate each other prior to election week. Vice presidential candidates would then appear on the ballot paired with their running mates, just as they do in our national election. This is a typical electoral process among collegiate student governments.

As former vice presidents, we have all been active in the campaign process, often offering ideas and support for our presidential candidates. While our support for our respective presidents during the campaign season and our ability to work well with them was integral in our appointments, we believe changing the process as described above will give students a greater voice. These changes will foster a more cohesive administration and allow the president and vice president to develop a clear vision for SA from the inception of their campaign.

Furthermore, under our current system, if the president vacates his or her seat for any reason, a voting member of cabinet must be elected to fill the seat within 10 days or a campuswide election will be held. Under proposed changes, in the instance of a presidential vacancy, the elected vice president would automatically become president, ultimately simplifying a process that, under our present system, could detract from the profounder efforts of SA members.

Because of the aforementioned reasons, we urge SA to pass this bill and encourage students to support their representatives to ensure its success.

Alexandra Curtis
President of the 57th Legislative Session
Vice President of the 56th Legislative Session

Duane Ford
Vice President of the 57th Legislative Session

Dylan Lustig
President of the 56th Legislative Session

Jess Cunnington
Vice President of the 55th Legislative Session

Angelo Coker
Vice President of the 54th Legislative Session