Today and tomorrow, you will have a great opportunity to have a say in how your student government is run. Executive and senate elections will be held at www.vote.iastate.edu, and every ISU student is encouraged to participate. Results will be released Thursday evening at 7 p.m. in 232 Carver.

This year, issues ranging from student debt, safety on campus, city improvements, sustainability, and many other miscellaneous subjects are on the minds of candidates. Students can find out about each candidates platform by viewing the Boggess-Haskin campaign page at www.boggess-haskin.com and the Turk-Peterson campaign page at www.turkpeterson09.com. The president and vice president serve as the chief representative of the student body to the ISU administration, the City of Ames, and the State government.

The GSB senate is charged with allocating nearly $1.5 million to student organizations and services, as well as representing student’s opinions through opinion resolutions that go to administrators and media outlets.

The senate is designed to represent every student at least twice, through their college and also their living area. When you log on to www.vote.iastate.edu, the site will identify you by your college and your living area. If you feel that this information is not correct, you have the ability to challenge the ballot and vote in the area you feel is most appropriate.

Currently, not every seat in the election is contested. Students that may have missed the deadline to sign up for elections but would still like to be involved can run for a write-in seat. If a write-in candidate wins an election, they will be invited to be a part of the senate.

How feasible is this, you ask? Two years ago, a student made a Facebook group and won four elections. It won’t be that easy this year, but it is certainly possible to win a write-in election.

On top of the representative elections, two referendum questions will be asked. One is purely house-keeping to assure that the organization is compliant with the GPA regulations of members set forth by the Student Organization Review Board.

The second is an interesting policy change in voting by the senate. Currently, a by-law amendment or a capital project allocation requires two-thirds affirmative votes by seated senators. This means that senators missing a meeting, whether it be excused or unexcused, essentially count as a no-vote. The change would only count two-thirds of present senators, which would simplify the process to pass by-law and capital projects legislation.

Educating yourself and participating in these elections is an important civic practice. The issues and efforts of student leaders do have a difference in administrative decisions, and it is essential that the student body is confident in their leadership. You are encouraged to contact all candidates, and all will welcome any questions.

Mark Sullivan

GSB election commissioner

Senior

Chemistry