ASUSU elections open Thursday

Kari Gray

Students are encouraged to vote for their favorite candidate in the Associated Students of Utah State University’s elections starting with primaries on Thursday.

Nollie Haws, public relations vice president, said, “A lot of things that affect students happen within the ASUSU Executive Council such as planning events and passing legislation affecting student life.”

The polls for primary elections will open Thursday at 8 a.m. and close Friday at 4 p.m., Haws said, and the polls for final elections will open March 6 at 8 a.m. and close March 7 at 5 p.m.

Haws said students should vote in the elections because, “It’s important for students to have a voice and make an informative decision about who they want to represent them.”

She said students are able to vote online at www.usu.edu/asusu/elec.html 24 hours a day from a personal computer or from the computers on campus.

Last year was the first year students were able to vote online for ASUSU elections and it has made the results from the elections available much faster she said.

Haws said after the primary elections are complete, the results for candidates running in the final elections will be read in the Sunburst Lounge Friday at 5 p.m.

Those ASUSU positions with only one or two candidates running will not have their names on the ballot for primaries, but will be on the ballot for final elections, she said.

Also, at the ASUSU election’s Web site, students can access candidate’s biographies and platforms to become informed about whom they want to vote for, Haws said.

Haws said this week students can learn about the candidates by attending the presidential candidate debate on Wednesday in The Hub at noon. She said students will have the opportunity to hear prepared questions directed to the candidates and students can get free bread from Great Harvest Bread Company.

To learn about the candidates during final elections, a formal debate moderated by Steve Palmer, ASUSU president, will take place in the Kent Concert Hall on Monday at 7 p.m., Haws said.

“This is our big event that we have never done before. We want students to come and cheer for their favorite candidate,” she said

For a complete list of candidates, see pages 15 through 17 of The Statesman.