IUSA Congress accepts election resolutions

IU Student Association Congress passed all proposed election code changes Tuesday, IUSA Vice President for Congress and senior Shobha Pai said.

Seven of the eight resolutions concerned specific policies regarding polling locations and times, rule violations, advertising and disqualification, as well as a $5,000 limit on campaign expenses.

“It was quite highly contested,” Pai said of the campaign expenses.

The new code will also limit the hours when a ticket is allowed to campaign. Tickets can campaign from 10 a.m. on the first day of elections to 10 p.m. on the final day of elections.

This change is part of an effort to keep tickets from garnering votes in bars while other establishments are closed.

“Last year there was not restrictions against that, so people were not only allowed to campaign there, they were also allowed to get people to vote,” speaker of the house and sophomore Farihah Hossain said.

The new code will also specifically limit the use of smart phones and laptops used for voting purposes within 50 feet of bars, Hossain said.

Tickets will be able to discuss campaigns and wear campaign clothing inside the
establishments, but individuals will not be able to vote there.

Hossain said IUSA didn’t want to be associated with alcohol and that encouraging students who might be under the influence to vote carried a negative connotation.

Last year fewer than 8,000 ballots were cast in the IUSA election. Hossain said this highlights the need for more IUSA advertisement, especially because Congress decided to stop using the wrap-around bus displays.

Pai said some argued that not imposing a cap on expenditures could potentially provide funding for marketing because the winning ticket could use its extra funding to finance initiatives and projects. Others argued that the cap would help tickets learn to budget successfully before a campaign.

The code will limit the amount of money to be spent, not the amount of money a ticket can raise. However, Pai said she thought tickets would not try to raise more than they were allowed to spend.