The application deadline to run in the 2015 ASUCR elections has been extended from Feb. 27 to March 13 due to a pending judicial decision regarding a candidate. This allows time for potential candidates to form a party, change their candidacy or party affiliation, or apply for candidacy if they are interested in running in elections.
According to Elections Director Stephanie Rose, the judicial branch asked her to extend the deadline due to an ongoing judicial case. No additional information was provided due to the alleged sensitivity of the information and in accordance with the ASUCR Constitution, which states that the judicial branch cannot comment on pending cases.
Melina Reyes, vice chief justice, stated that the case will be resolved during closed session at the next judicial branch meeting on March 11. Reyes said that a public statement regarding the case “would likely depend upon our decision whether or not to give a strike, or the accused’s decision to appeal (the case).”
Reyes elaborated on the challenges of balancing private and public information, especially in regards to judicial cases. “We want to be able to facilitate transparency as much as possible, but that is not always possible when we deal with sensitive and private information,” Reyes stated.
The justices have not posted any information regarding the justices or meeting times on their new website. Ravin Rathod, marketing and promotions director, stated that the judges can be reached through email at asucrjustice@ucr.edu.
Before the announcement was made, many executive cabinet positions were unopposed, with three-quarters of the candidates running as a single party and the remainder running as independents.
Elections may be less competitive this year than in the previous year, with less than half of the amount of candidates running for office compared to last year. With this extension, competition could increase if more students choose to run.
“The competition was positive in the sense that it made people want to go out and vote. In turn, the campus climate shifted where I feel that students weren’t as excited to vote because they felt overwhelmed by it,” Rose stated in regards to last year’s campaign.
Due to a large turnout at the candidate workshops, Rose believed that many students were interested in running. “I did have over 50 to 60 students who came to my mandatory candidate meetings. That means a lot of students were actually interested, but only 32 went forward with applying,” Rose explained before the announcement was made.
Rose will release a finalized list of all candidates and running parties after applications close on March 13.
