Election kick off

On April 15, the Associated Student Government will be hosting their annual Election BBQ, however, a couple of things have changed. This year, instead of just having one option of only burgers, they have decided to create a variety of choices by bringing in food trucks. With this in mind they have also decided to change the name of the event to be an Election Kick Off as it is the first day that
students can vote for their ASG representatives. The event will be held from 11:00 to 2:30, and “the main goal of the kick off is to make sure that students are aware that voting is going on” and by creating a fun and welcoming environment it gives students the opportunity to vote, explains Chief Justice Komalpreet Kaur Sahota. Voting begins on April 15 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on April 25. Their main way of promoting this event is through informational posters; however, the candidates are also promoting this event as they campaign. “Candidates are campaigning strongly for students to attend the kick off because that’s the day where the candidates will do their speeches and that’s when they do interviews,” says Sahota.
There are a few rules that must be followed by each candidate, and these rules can be found in the ASG bylaws. “With elections people get creative, so the bylaws have been adapted overtime to develop an element of fairness,” explains Brandon Lueken, program coordinator.
To be an eligible candidate, a student must have above a 2.7 quarterly BC college level GPA for the two previous consecutive quarters and they must have at least 12 BC college credits for ASG representative position or 24 for an executive position.
While they are campaigning, candidates must follow the rules set in the bylaws and act accordingly. Candidates cannot spend more than $100 on campaign expenses. Also, they cannot set up voting stations or solicit votes on electronic devices because no voting can be done in the immediate presence of a candidate. “We tell candidates to use caution when going into any high profile area,” says Lueken, because there can be voting going on.
No matter where a student is, it is still important that they vote. “It is extremely important that students vote, the more people that vote the more true it is,” explains Lueken. The Election Kick Off is the best place for students to support their candidates while also having fun and eating food.
The Election Kick Off is one of the greatest opportunities for candidates to campaign as well because the students are there for the purpose of hearing what they have to say. “Last year we had 2,300 people attend,” says Associate Justice of External Affairs Natasha Wijoyo.
However, since the elections this year are held earlier in the spring quarter, they “are expecting more people to come,” says Associate Justice of Internal Affairs Kazuki Yonebayashi.
The Judicial Board is hoping that “there will be more collaborating and that it’ll make a stronger connection between ASG and the BC students,” explains Wijoyo, “we also invite faculty every year, so we expect stronger community connections to build.”
“It’s a voting event, and yes we want people to vote, but it has become throughout the past few years a really big and fun event where people just come and hang out even if you’re staff or faculty or a student,” says Sahota.