ASUA officials change deadline after meager candidate turnout

Associated Students officials will announce at tonight's senate meeting whether they will have to scrap the primary election.

With fewer than 20 nominations for student senate and insufficient candidates for both vice presidential offices, candidates may go straight on the ballot.

"It's scary when your elections are reduced to saying 'yes' or 'no' to one person," said Elections Commissioner Anthony Hill.

By Monday's deadline, only the office of president had enough candidates to merit a primary, he said.

Hill said lack of interest and a disillusionment with ASUA may have kept many students from running for office.

"I've always maintained there is a very anti-ASUA feeling. Maybe people are sick of this organization, I don't know," he said.

Hill added that many of those who have turned in petitions are current ASUA members and those who are familiar with the ASUA system.

"You don't have the high turnover rate you used to," Hill said. "The rate was conducive to innovation. We've become stagnant."

He took some of the blame for the low turnout, saying he was "deeply embarrassed and ashamed this had to happen."

"It is very disappointing for me," Hill said. "My job is to do this election and to tear it apart personally hurts me."

The deadlines for nominations have been pushed back and the primary elections have been scrapped in the past, but Associated Students' President Tara Taylor said she feels the low turnout is "partly my fault. It's...my job."

Hill and Taylor Monday night contacted students who picked up nominating petitions, but did not return them.

"It'll be a good way to give newcomers a fair shot," Taylor said. "That's what we need. We need to include more people."

ASUA Adviser Jim Drnek said although the postponement may seem unfair to those who did turn in nominations, he thinks it will "enhance" the election.

"We wrestled with that (issue)," Drnek said. "But is it fair to have uncontested races?"

Drnek said students may have been overwhelmed with the time commitments of an ASUA office, and many others may be apathetic toward student politics.

"That's what we're dealing with more than anything else," he said.

Hill said ASUA will be taking steps to ensure a higher turnout next year.

"I will definitely recommend measures for increasing turnout in my end of the year report," Hill said.

These measures will include more advertising and more personal contact, according to Taylor.

"I know of students who are (disillusioned with ASUA)," Taylor said. "But I say to those students, 'if you don't like it, come change it.'"