Ten candidates will begin campaigning March 26, 2023, with hopes of winning various Student Government Association (SGA) positions and six more students will also begin their campaigns as they seek positions on Miss Alabama State University’s Royal Court for the 2023-24 academic year.
According to Elections Committee Chairman Martavious Young, as of March 6, each candidate has to submit professional headshots and all campaign material has to be submitted to the Elections Committee no later than March 18, 2023.
The members of the committee are Young, Vice Chairman Morgan Tate, Reginald Flowers Jr. and Kobe Brown.
Candidates who want to participate have already been approved to run for office. The committee has been making social media posts to promote and excite students.
Debates are scheduled for April 4th and 6th. The SGA president and vice president debates will be held in Ralph David Abernathy Hall Auditorium April 4 and the SGA secretary and treasurer debates will be held April 6 in the same auditorium.
This year the SGA Election Committee will introduce a new strategy to increase voting participation, “Swarm to the Polls.” It will be an all-day event held April 11 in the amphitheater, giving candidates one final chance to campaign to the student body.
Young said going over the timeline with the candidates gives them a better understanding and more confidence.
“It is important to understand the timeline and now that I have a better idea of what that timeline looks like and how we should invest our resources over the election period, there’s more confidence going into this,” Young said. “It’s always about the students. I think it’s always about communicating with the students and letting them know that the elections are happening and that we do have their interest and their concerns as our top priority.”
Failure to attend the mandatory meeting without a good cause results in the candidate not being placed on the ballot, according to the SGA election guidelines.
There are 43 positions in the executive and legislative branches of the SGA available.
“You want to have a balance between seasoned, experienced students and those coming in so they can pass on the torch,” Young said. “Some of the initiatives they work on span over years. It’s critically important that you have a good fresh batch of faces so they can work with the veterans and that’s a healthy cycle. The good thing is that there are always students wanting to take part in SGA.”
Online voting will begin at 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 10 and April 11 and will close at 7 p.m. April 12. Election results will be announced April 12 at a mixer that will be held in the amphitheater.