The Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU) announced on Monday that they will be holding a special election this fall to fill the 21 vacant seats in the 57th General Assembly. There are currently vacancies in all colleges with the exception of James Madison, Natural Science and Natural Resources.
"To best represent students' needs, ASMSU needs a full General Assembly," ASMSU Public Relations Manager Brandon Crawford said. "However, many colleges have vacant seats. ASMSU needs voices from each college so that we can advocate on behalf of students when navigating this unusual year."
This election will take place the week of Oct. 5, 2020. Students interested in running for a seat must complete an election packet and get 25 signatures from students in their college by Sept. 16, 2020.
Students can sign petitions for candidates online to comply with COVID-19 social distancing measures using their MSU NetID and password at asmsu.msu.edu/elections beginning Aug. 10, 2020.
“Due to the unique circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 Pandemic, not all General Assembly seats were filled in our usual spring elections,” said Andrea Bair, ASMSU chief of staff and chair of undergraduate elections commission in the press release. “I am hopeful we can discover some amazing student leaders who are willing to serve students at this time.”
For the first time ever, students can run and serve on the General Assembly even if it is their first year at MSU. This provides a new opportunity for incoming students who are interested in making an impact on campus.
"Normally, first year students are not able to run because the elections are held in the spring," Crawford said. "Since these elections will be held in the fall, first year students will be on-campus and able to run."
The General Assembly is the legislative body of ASMSU. It is composed of college-elected representatives from the degree-granting colleges at MSU, as well as representatives from other student organizations like the Council of Racial and Ethnic Students, Council of Progressive Students, and other major governing organizations. Legislative action is then carried forward to university officials, community leaders, and representatives at the State Capitol and federal level of government with what ASMSU advocates for.
“Students should run for the General Assembly because it is an ideal way to implement changes you believe are necessary,” Jack Harrison, ASMSU representative for the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, said in the press release. “Student government is for anyone and it is important to have representatives from every college so that we consider all perspectives when debating legislation.”
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