Even unopposed candidates require minimum 10 percent voter turnout
Chloe' Ruffin (The Beacon)
By Kate Peifer, Staff Writer -- peifer14@up.edu
With ASUP elections in less than a week, candidates are running unopposed in all races except for one: ASUP secretary.
However, all candidates must still receive votes from the student body to be elected into office.
"The candidates have to get 10 percent of the campus to vote for them," incumbent CPB Director Sean Ducey said.
A failure to receive a vote of 10 percent, or approximately 320 votes, would result in several problems, including a delay in budgeting for campus clubs.
"We are stressing the importance of this election because if they don't elect them, there won't be a student government," current ASUP Vice President Chloe' Ruffin said.
Student government vacancies would result in a special election to fill the positions.
It's not clear what would motivate students to vote in a special election if they didn't do so in the original election. However, Student Activities Director Jeromy Koffler is optimistic about getting enough voter turnout next week because turnout has ranged between 38 and 46 percent over the past four years.
"I think the chances of someone not being in place are slim to none," Koffler said.
Since most of the candidates are unopposed, the annual candidate speech night was cancelled.
According to Koffler, reasons there are so few candidates this year are class schedule conflicts, many students applying for an RA position, strict application qualifications and an academic requirement.
"It's a complex issue," Koffler said. "There is no one answer as to why there are so few candidates."
Ruffin believes students may not have the time or energy to commit to being a part of senate and also may not see the benefits of the position as valuable.
"I made more as a student worker working five jobs than as student body Vice President," Ruffin said.
The ASUP president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and the CPB director each receive a $6,000 annual stipend.
The election, which will be on Feb. 21 and 22 on the online UP portal, was announced on the ASUP Facebook page, mentioned in Senate, posted on the ASUP portal page and advertised through ADvantage and person-to-person recruitment in the hopes of gaining interest.
"Members of ASUP have also been going up to people who they personally believe would make good leaders," Koffler said.
The application deadline to run has passed, but write-in candidates are allowed.
