ASB modifies election process

With a new method of casting votes and presenting candidate speeches, Associated Student Body (ASB) elections were held Tuesday, Feb. 24.This year, speeches were presented to each grade separately in Barnum Hall, as opposed to previous elections held in the Greek. And while last year’s election results were tallied electronically, this year’s elections featured physical ballot boxes where students could cast their vote.According to ASB advisor Bryn Boyd, the effects of segregating grade levels and hosting the elections in Barnum Hall were twofold. For one, presentations became significantly shorter, reducing the time students spent away from class. Additionally, students only listened to the speeches and candidates that affected them personally.Boyd said that having elections earlier in the year allows for ASB to organize summer retreats with the input of new member, and will help facilitate decisions made in students’ academic planning planning sessions that are taking place currently with house advisors.ASB also instituted restrictions on campaign tactics, limiting students to only two posters per Samo bulletin board and prohibiting social media campaigning, according to current ASB President Brian Matusovsky.“Some people don’t have social media, and we don’t want to put them in a disadvantage,” Matusovsky  said. “There is also a $100 limit on campaign materials and posters so that nobody has a major advantage in election materials due to family resources and spendable money.”These restrictions, however, proved to be challenging for some of the candidates’ campaigns.“The way that the speeches were segregated and the posters limited do not truly show what the student can bring to the school,” Secretary candidate Colton Halpert said.