Candidates who plan to run in the spring undergraduate student government election have until March 13 to register with slates.
Slates are groups of two or more students running together for Undergraduate Students Association Council seats. Any candidates who fail to register together in time will, by default, run independently, said Shagun Kabra, USAC Election Board chair.
Typically, slates pool their resources and run candidates on similar platforms, like political parties do. This is the first time that the board will officially recognize slates in an election, though slates have run the majority of candidates in elections for many years.
Signatories for the LET’S ACT! and Bruins United slates have already submitted slate registration forms, Kabra said.
After the initial registration form is submitted, Kabra said, there will be subsequent paperwork for candidates to fill out, such as statements from candidates about their platforms.
The board will penalize candidates who miss the slate deadline but act as if they are running on a slate, Kabra said. Penalties may include an illegitimate slate having to remove all fliers posted that include its candidates’ names, he added.
The slate registration form is available online on the USAC Election Board’s website.
Compiled by Ian Stevenson, Bruin contributor.