Thursday, March 28, 2024

ASMSU hopes to draw voters

March 20, 2001

While ASMSU officials said they are confident the undergraduate student government’s election - which begins today and ends Thursday - will run without a hitch, one concern still remains.

“Elections should run smoothly, but voter turnout is the bigger question,” said Nimri Niemchak, ASMSU chief of staff.

Students must be undergraduates who have not received a refund on the $13 ASMSU tax to vote in the student government election.

After clicking on the election link provided on the Web site, students will use their pilot e-mail ID and password to enter the ballots.

“It will automatically take you to your own personalized ballot,” said Julia Wimberley, ASMSU Web site director.

Only 32 candidates are running for the 61 available representative seats in the election, but students will have other issues to consider - including three referendums.

A referendum is a proposed change to the student government’s constitution.

Among the proposed referendums are: a measure that gives the Residence Halls Association a voting seat on the ASMSU Academic Assembly, an increase in funding the ASMSU Programming Board receives from the student government, and a decrease in the amount of student signatures required on a petition to overturn a decision by ASMSU.

According to the ASMSU Code of Operations, the Programming Board can receive no less than 15 percent of the student government’s total budget. The proposed referendum would increase that requirement to 20 percent.

“We would like to see programming get a little bit more behind it,” said Tori Treadwell, Programming Board chairperson.

While it was one of the more controversial issues within ASMSU, Academic Assembly College of Social Science representative Matt Penniman said a decrease in required petition signatures to get a referendum can only benefit students.

The procedure for a student-initiated referendum to overturn a student government decision, as stated in ASMSU’s constitution, requires submitting a petition with the signatures of either 10 percent of MSU’s student population, or about 3,800 students.

A special student election is then held and the referendum would pass or fail based on a simple majority vote. The proposed referendum would decrease the required number to 1,000.

“It will make ASMSU more responsive to needs and desires,” Penniman said. “It will also make ASMSU more accountable.”

Students can vote at www.asmsu.org.

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