Time to vote

It is that time of year again: time to vote for your student government. Maybe you aren’t aware of this because last year only around 700 students submitted ballots out of a student population of over 25,000.

The Associated Students of Portland State University (ASPSU) is your student government. The student government is responsible for distributing more than $13 million in funds collected by the Student Fee. They are also supposed to serve in on-campus committees that voice the student opinion as well as advocate for students at the university, city and state levels.

It seems that this year there are more fliers informing students which candidates are running. In fact, there are five parties running for president and vice president. Contrast that from last year, when current president Katie Markey ran uncontested.

Elections are best when students actually have a choice. This year, students do have such a choice between candidates, reflecting who is best suited for job and different opinions on how to run ASPSU, which is definitely beneficial when trying to figure out who is going to run your student government for an entire year.

It seems the candidates are actually interested in government and the students of Portland State instead of just using the position to further their own agendas or build resumes.

Students can log onto their Banweb account and vote—it’s that simple. Voting began on April 22. Usually students have one week to cast their ballot, but because of maintenance to Banweb on Thursday, April 28, 7 p.m. to midnight, the voting has been extended to May 1 at 5 p.m. Students also have the opportunity to vote between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on these days at the voting stations in Victor’s Dining Hall; between Smith Memorial Student Union and Neuberger Hall; inside of SMSU; the first floor of the library, and on the second floor of the Rec Center.

Because the name of ASPSU has been so tainted and left a bad taste in the students’ mouths, it has forced the Elections Board to take some much needed action for this year’s elections.

Their goal is to increase voter turnout to 10 percent, 2,700 students. They are planning a “Rock the Vote” event for April 26. The Elections Board is also hoping to change the minimum GPA to serve on ASPSU (2.0 for undergraduates, 3.0 for graduates) in order to increase the standards that candidates are held to.

All of these are necessary steps. We need candidates who are responsible, hold a certain amount of accountability and really want to be here, serving the student body. The student body also needs to learn more about ASPSU and what exactly they do. Voting is also a responsibility.

There is a general universal rule for all elections; if you do not vote then you cannot complain. It is important to get those voting numbers up, students! These are the people who are going to represent us for an entire year. They should be capable, likeable and responsible.

Knowledge is power, knowing what exactly ASPSU does and when elections are, the student body will hopefully be able to get behind candidates who will be the right voice for the students. Remember to vote on Banweb. You have up to May 1 at 5 p.m. ?