New changes made to elections process
Katherine J. White
Issue date: 5/6/09 Section: News
No complaints.
That's what many said about the changes in Bakersfield College's Student Government Association elections April 29-30, which were held in BC's Campus Center. The changes made in the student elections process drew mainly praises from students and SGA.
"This is a historical election," said Justin Salters, current SGA vice president, speaking of the inclusion of two propositions on the student elections' ballots, as well as the first-time-ever use of poll workers, community members as well as volunteers, from Kern County's Elections Department. According to Salters, the propositions asked students to decide on whether or not to increase student health services and hence increase fees and whether or not to have a smoke-free Campus Center and Veteran's Memorial Plaza. It has been many years since students were presented with propositions on student elections ballots.
"Students would come up to us (the SGA) and ask: 'Why aren't you doing x-y-z?' There were significant student concerns, and we wanted to resolve them. These propositions represent student input," said Salters.
Along with the propositions, this year's election is an unusual one along with the use of poll workers instead of students from SGA manning the polls. In previous years, SGA worked the student election polls.
According to Salters, the new system with poll workers issued by the KC Elections Department is a guard against voter fraud including double voting. Salters, along with two other SGA elections committee members, Shazeb Shaheen and Guryijay Bains, designed the new voting system. The three decided to contact the Elections Department and worked with Karen Rhea, chief deputy of registrar of voters at the department on arranging for the presence of the poll workers at the student elections. The workers who manned the BC polls have worked on county, state and national elections around Bakersfield.
The official poll workers handled BC's student elections much like they do any county, state or national election.
That's what many said about the changes in Bakersfield College's Student Government Association elections April 29-30, which were held in BC's Campus Center. The changes made in the student elections process drew mainly praises from students and SGA.
"This is a historical election," said Justin Salters, current SGA vice president, speaking of the inclusion of two propositions on the student elections' ballots, as well as the first-time-ever use of poll workers, community members as well as volunteers, from Kern County's Elections Department. According to Salters, the propositions asked students to decide on whether or not to increase student health services and hence increase fees and whether or not to have a smoke-free Campus Center and Veteran's Memorial Plaza. It has been many years since students were presented with propositions on student elections ballots.
"Students would come up to us (the SGA) and ask: 'Why aren't you doing x-y-z?' There were significant student concerns, and we wanted to resolve them. These propositions represent student input," said Salters.
Along with the propositions, this year's election is an unusual one along with the use of poll workers instead of students from SGA manning the polls. In previous years, SGA worked the student election polls.
According to Salters, the new system with poll workers issued by the KC Elections Department is a guard against voter fraud including double voting. Salters, along with two other SGA elections committee members, Shazeb Shaheen and Guryijay Bains, designed the new voting system. The three decided to contact the Elections Department and worked with Karen Rhea, chief deputy of registrar of voters at the department on arranging for the presence of the poll workers at the student elections. The workers who manned the BC polls have worked on county, state and national elections around Bakersfield.
The official poll workers handled BC's student elections much like they do any county, state or national election.
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