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Editorial: Fresh faces offer new hope for ASUA elections

Candidates for this year's Associated Students elections have a great opportunity - a fresh start.

This year's list of candidates presents a slew of unknown names and a chance to make some real changes free of typical ASUA repeat offenders.

Last year, the University of Arizona student body was faced with a shameful lack of choice with two uncontested vice president spots, while this year's showing boasts three candidates for both president and executive vice president, and two for administrative vice president. But the most promising fact is that this year's list is largely unrecognizable.

All but five of the individuals running for office have never held an elected spot in ASUA, a phenomenon that will, hopefully, make for a fair election based on probable campaign promises and an escape from the stale cycle of non-performance.

The new students running for ASUA now face the challenge of presenting such a campaign, and convincing us that they can actually follow through on the much-needed reform that has only been talked about by the current student government.

About this time last year, the name of the game was change.

Candidates brought forth new ideas to assign districts to ASUA senators, and involve the student body in the decision-making process by polling the community on proposals. The depressing lack of choice was tempered by hope for reform and some pretty good ideas.

But the majority of the current government is on the way out, and the ideas just haven't gone anywhere. The tenets that paved candidates' roads to office have fizzled

This unfortunate fact is enough to jade any student voter. However, 20 unknown potential senators and three fresh faces running for executive positions hold the almost inevitable promise of a new ASUA.

The only way such a turnaround can occur is if these new candidates research UA issues, present an intelligent campaign and give the students a real choice by truly challenging the incumbent positions.

So few students actually vote and it is easy to be swayed by a familiar name. This year's election needs new ideas to go with the new names. Otherwise the student government remains the same, boasting only a new, ineffective appearance.

Finally, the only way to a truly new ASUA is for candidates to actually follow through with campaign promises. A completely new student government can only go so far if those elected sit on their hands after the victory.

For the sake of the university, the unaffiliated candidates must move past the plague of recent college politicians and bring students back into the priority of their government.

The prospect of so many new candidates is exciting, but reform is only likely if the election brings some bold ideas and people who intend to follow through with them.