It's official.
Kyle Bristow is no longer the James Madison College representative for ASMSU — MSU's undergraduate student government.
Bristow, chairman of Young Americans for Freedom, or YAF, and a member of the MSU College Republicans, was removed from his student government position after a recall election was held Oct. 26.
Bristow received 18 votes to maintain his office. However, 225 students voted against him. Two votes were not able to be counted.
Prior to the election results, Bristow said, "I expect to be taken out. I would honestly be surprised if I was to stay because these groups made campaigns to remove me."
Student government officials cannot remember if a representative has ever been recalled by their constituents, said Roger Ludy ASMSU's Student Assembly chairperson.
Students successfully gathered the 10 percent of student signatures in James Madison College, which was the minimum required to petition ASMSU to conduct the recall election.
"A lot of my former constituents were very liberal," Bristow said. "And I am not a very liberal person."
Bristow described himself as a conservative Republican who has never tried to hide his beliefs.
Although Doug Schraufnagle, a James Madison student, said he did not vote for or against Bristow, he supported Bristow's removal from office.
"He doesn't seem to represent the students," said Schraufnagle, a social relations sophomore.
The removal of Bristow leaves an open seat for the college on ASMSU's Student Assembly. James Madison College still has one seat on the assembly occupied by Bradley McDonald, an appointed representative.
A student can apply for the vacant seat, said Brandon Hicks, vice chairperson for internal affairs for ASMSU's Student Assembly. Assembly members would be responsible for appointing someone to the position.
Bristow could run for ASMSU representative again, however, he said he doubts he will participate with the student government again.
"I'm so busy with other groups," Bristow said. "I did run in a real election in August and won as a precinct delegate."
Bristow's extracurricular activities, which at times were viewed as extreme and radical by the MSU student body, prompted some students to take action.
As chairman of YAF, Bristow pushed the possibility of hosting a "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day" event and was responsible for promoting a bill to place a link to the national sex offender registry on the university's Web site. He was also against special interest groups, such as the Lesbian Avengers, Brown Berets and on-campus organizations like Women's Council and the Black Caucuses located in different dorms.
Ashley A. Smith can be reached at smithas7@msu.edu.
