Some ASMSU members support a November ballot proposal to eliminate primary elections for the East Lansing City Council which could increase the chances of a student being elected to the council.

The primaries are held in August, when most students are not at school and aren't able to run for the seat, said senior Lynsey Little, a representative for MSU's undergraduate student government.

Little said the issue with the new East Lansing noise ordinance could have been avoided if a student was part of the city council.

"There would have been more student involvement," Little said. "Of course, concerns over noise would have created some kind of ordinance, but if we had a student on council, we would have been much more engaged in the issue."

ASMSU is not officially backing a write-in candidate for the November elections, but Little said having a student on council could be beneficial to the East Lansing community.

"We need someone who wants to be a good council member, can represent student concerns and is willing to engage the community as a whole," she said.

East Lansing City Clerk Sharon Reid said the East Lansing city charter allows amendments to the structure of elections by the vote of the people. Such amendments could include changing the date of the primaries or removing them altogether.

Other Michigan cities that have eliminated primary elections include Farmington Hills, Rogers City and Leslie.

Primaries are held if more than two people file for each of the open city council seats. This year, three council positions will be open. If seven or more candidates had filed, a primary would have been held to cut the general election field to six.

Councilmember Bill Sharp said he was in favor of putting the proposal to a vote and eliminating primaries. He said it would reduce campaign costs for the candidates as much as $3,000, and save the city of East Lansing close to $18,000 because it would not have to pay for people to work the polls and handle elections.

Sharp does not have a problem with a student running for council.

"If they get elected, it is their responsibility to do their job for the next four years," Sharp said.

Former Councilmember Douglas Jester said although eliminating the primaries could save money, it could also be detrimental to East Lansing voters.

"I am inclined to retain the primary because the downside of getting rid of it is that you may change results of the election," Jester said.