The Hatchet’s Editorial Board argues that the SA should re-examine the newly passed bill eliminating the need for SA candidates to gather signatures to get on the ballot.
“If candidates no longer have to get these signatures, it does encourage more students to run, but it also means that limitless joke candidates would have little stopping them from running, apart from filing some paperwork with the Joint Elections Committee. In previous elections, before candidates needed to get signatures to become official, joke candidates were the norm rather than the exception from year to year.”
Read the full editorial here.
You’re forgetting that eliminating the signature requirement is mostly a favor to people who hate having their door knocked on 15 times by different people all trying to get them to sign a piece of paper.
If we have to suffer through a few joke candidates in order to eliminate a major hassle for students, I’m willing to accept that.
Why didn’t the SA ban signature gathering in residence halls?
Mandating signature collection and banning signature collection in residence hall are non-compatible.
No one would get the signatures.
That’s the point. You have to be able to convince people of your candidacy before running for office. It shouldn’t be as easy as cruising through a res. hall to pick up signatures. Strong leaders are those who go the extra mile to insure quality. If a candidate isn’t willing to do the work on the campaign trail, who’s to say he or she will work in office?
If you set annoying standards, only people who are so committed to annoying and being annoyed will enter office.