Terraka Garner
Staff Writer
The Associated Students of Idaho State University (ASISU) will hold elections over the course of the next week.
Voting will open March 17 at 8 a.m. and will close March 18 at 5 p.m.
Election results will tentatively be announced by 8 p.m. on March 18 in the Pond Student Union Building main lobby.
Students will be provided the opportunity to vote online on the home page of their BengalWeb accounts.
Prior to voting, students are encouraged to research candidates through resources provided on the ASISU elections home page in addition to opportunities to hear senate candidate speeches and the executive candidate debate on campus.
Information on elections can be accessed through the elections home page at isu.edu/asisu/vote. From the elections home page, users can access elections results after March 18, election updates posted as necessary, an FAQ regarding elections and more.
The “Voters Guide to Candidates” is another key resource available to voters through the elections home page.
The voters guide provides information about each of the candidates running for office, in addition to information about the party affiliations listed, including the “Paw Party” and “United Students.”
The Voters Guide can be accessed online at isu.edu/asisu/vote/candidates.shtml.
Senate candidate speeches will take place at noon on Wednesday, March 11 and Thursday, March 12, while the Executive Ticket Debate will take place at noon on Friday, March 13. Both senate candidate speeches and the Executive Ticket Debate will take place in the Quad Lounge of the Pond Student Union Building and are open to all who wish to attend.
Students are only permitted to vote for executive ticket candidates and senate candidates in the college of their major. Students who are double majoring are required to choose which college they would like to cast their vote in.
ASISU Elections Commissioner Erika Cook advised students double majoring to check their BengalWeb accounts ahead of time in order to see which college BengalWeb has chosen as the individual’s main college.
If BengalWeb does not have the correct information, any student can walk in to the ASISU offices, located in the Pond Student Union Building, during the voting period and state that he or she would like to submit an alternative ballot.
“Some people say you can’t complain if you don’t vote. This is technically not true because there will be no earthly force that stops you from complaining even if you don’t vote but if you don’t vote, why do you care enough to complain?” said Cook. “You should vote, because then you can complain and be justified in it.”
There are currently 27 candidates listed on the ballot.
Executive ticket or presidential and vice presidential candidates include Mackenzie Smith partnered with Kitanna Belnap, and Sam Perry partnered with Kourtney McConnell.
Jake Daniel Osti is the Idaho Falls vice presidential candidate.
Senate candidates include Makayla Muir, Mitch Berry, Jonathan Dominguez and Michael Fornarotto running for the four seats for the College of Arts and Letters; Noah Johnson and Alejandra Mendoza running for the one seat in the College of Business; Ramila Baral and Rajesh Jayasawal running for the two seats in the School of Graduate Studies; Michelle Price, Jordan Withers and Maria Ortiz running for the four seats in the Division of Health Sciences; Staci Branaum for the one seat for the College of Pharmacy; Asim Dhakal, Rahul Kshetri, Braxten Hornsby, Kalen Khang, Juan Carlos Chavez and Samuel D’Amico are competing for the three seats in the College of Science and Engineering; Tristan Worley, Debbie Beckstead and Wyatt Callister running for the three seats in the College of Technology; and Karlie Sudweeks is the sole candidate for a position on the senate for the College of Education which has two seats available.
“I want to see ASISU with a stronger voice in the community, a stronger voice among people outside because they affect us everyday,” said D’Amico. “We represent 12,000 to 15,000 students and we should have a much stronger voice.”
Hornsby and Khang both mentioned that they are seeing very little direct student involvement.
These two candidates are aiming to change the current low voter turnout as well as to involve students by keeping them continuously informed.
“What we really want to do is get into the senate and tell everyone what’s going on,” said Khang.
Hornsby noted that he considers the candidates from the College of Science and Engineering to be “the most competitive but the least aggressive.”
This is because the candidates for this college are reportedly all supportive of one another because they reportedly trust that each and every one of them cares enough to do a good job and to maintain their productivity.
“There’s no need to be blood-thirsty,” said Hornsby.
“There’s no need to be cut-throat,” added Khang.
Cook encourages students to get out there and to vote.
“I would just encourage everybody to go to the website and to read up on the candidates. Do some research,” said Cook. “I am not allowed to tell you how to vote and that’s good because I don’t want to get into that anyway, but give it a look, it’s worth finding out about.”
