The undergraduate student government began gearing up for the upcoming May election season when it finalized the election calendar at its meeting on Thursday.
And with the calendar set, members of the Undergraduate Students Association Council said they were excited for the upcoming election season.
“I think it’s definitely an exciting opportunity to hear about the issues that students will be prioritizing, and how the incoming council will tackle those issues,” said Internal Vice President Gregory Cendana.
USAC President Marwa Kaisey said students are not always aware of what USAC does, but that election season offers an opportunity to change this.
“It gives us a chance to share with the campus what we’ve done over the past year, and what we hope to accomplish in the future,” she said.
The proposed calendar, created by Elections Board Chairwoman Sandybeth Carrillo, was agreed upon by members of the council, whose only stipulation was that leafleting begin on the first day of voting, a day earlier than originally planned.
Potential candidates have two weeks, until April 20, to decide whether to run and submit their materials. Candidate packets are available today in Kerckhoff 312, and candidates have until April 20 at noon to complete them and turn them in.
Another important part of election season is the endorsement hearings, during which student groups have the opportunity to interview the candidates to determine whom to endorse. The hearings for this year will take place from April 30 to May 2.
The debate and the real campaigning will begin on May 3, when the candidates are scheduled to discuss their platforms in a public debate.
Carrillo said the Elections Board will begin handing out voting guides for students at the debate. The voting guides will include specific information about the voting process for students.
Students can vote from 7 p.m. on May 7 through 7 p.m. on May 10 on the MyUCLA Web site.
Due to the new ranked voting system, this is a much shorter period than elections in previous years, which lasted two weeks. This system, which USAC approved last year, requires students to rank the candidates in order of preference as opposed to casting only one vote.
Kaisey said she is very pleased with the shorter voting period, since longer elections took up more resources and can hold up the council.
“I think it’s a great change and an overdue service to the school that the elections are a week long instead of two weeks,” Kaisey said. “I’m looking forward to seeing a successful and new election system.”
But External Vice President Tina Park said she preferred the previous two-week-long elections because the dialogue that elections encourage lasted longer and was more productive.
“It gives the opportunity to get to know the candidates better,” she said. “For me (as a candidate), it was a long two weeks, but it gave me a chance to really talk to more people.”
Park also said she was concerned about confusion among students because of the change to ranked-choice voting, which could lead to lower voter turnout.
“I really hope that students don’t get confused,” she said. “I hope (the students) ask a lot of questions so they understand what they’re doing and still vote.”
Kaisey offered advice for this year’s candidates, encouraging them to focus on the needs of the students and the school.
“Make sure that you always keep the average student in mind when you’re developing your platform. Do it for the love of the school, and take advantage of the opportunity to meet a lot of your fellow Bruins,” she said.
Park said, given the stress that comes with running for office, she urges candidates to not neglect their own health and well-being.
“Take care of (yourselves) personally ““ it’s a really long period of campaigning. If you see a candidate, give them a hug,” she said.