Each year the Associated Student Government hosts a voting event to encourage students to participate in the election of their representatives. This year’s is coming up on April 20 and will be held from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the courtyard outside the library and is open to all BC students. In addition to having laptops ready for students to cast their votes, the event will include food trucks and music.
Approximately 70 percent of voting happens the day of this event each year, including 767 out of the 1,019 total votes last year. This represents just 3 percent of the student population at BC.
Attendees to the BBQ get two tickets when they get to the voting grounds, one for food and one for dessert. There will be additional dessert option which is new this year, offering Japanese fish-shaped waffles from the truck Beanfish. The food trucks featured include just one returning favorite: Off the Rez, which offers Native cuisine including frybread and Indian tacos. The other food option is a Korean/Mexican fusion truck called Bamba.
The ASG BBQ is busy every year, which means students should be prepared to wait in line. BC Program Coordinator Brandon Lueken said that facilitators will do everything they can to speed up the process, including allowing students to vote on their phones and receive tickets from roaming volunteers instead of waiting in line for the laptops. “They can only cook food so fast, so lines will be a reality,” Lueken said. “But it will be worth it for the free food and for the experience.”
Candidates will be present at the BBQ to talk to students and help potential voters understand their platform.
The three positions that students will have the chance to vote on will be ASG president, vice president for finance and communication and vice president for student affairs and pluralism. Students voting in this year’s ASG elections have the chance to not only choose a representative, but weigh in on an important restructure of the way the entire student government will function.
This restructure would include an amendment to the ASBC constitution that would change two positions from being elected to hired positions. These roles would be filled by candidates approved by a hiring committee comprised of staff and students.
There are a few reasons for the restructuring, most importantly to increase the efficiency of the system as a whole. In the ASG, it also will ensure that the most qualified candidate for the role is the one who fills the position. “Some candidates are very good at campaigning, but when it comes to actually doing the job, that is not where their skills lie,” Leuken explained of the possible change.