Undergraduates head to polls today

All registered undergraduate students can vote for ASUNM’s president, vice-president and Senate today, and decide on two constitutional amendments that deal with Student Publications funding and Senate vacancies.

Students must show a Lobo identification card at poll locations before they can vote.

The Associated Students of UNM’s presidential candidates are Sen. Andrea Cook of The Connection slate and Sen. Tim Serna of The People slate. The Vice presidential candidates are Sen. Steve Aguilar of The Connection slate and Sen. David Padilla of the People slate.

Students can also vote on two constitutional amendments. Amendment One eliminates the allocation of student fees to the Daily Lobo. The same amendment allocates three percent of student fees to Best Student Essays and Conceptions Southwest via the Student Publications Board. It also identifies ASUNM’s Accounting Office and that the Finance Committee is the group that submits the annual budget to the Senate.

Amendment Two clarifies that candidates that received that highest number of votes in the most recent election will fill vacancies in that order.

Chaz Lacy-Mart°nez, ASUNM election chairman, said campaigning has been strong and students want their voices heard.

“I am expecting a record turnout,” he said.

The election chair’s job is to insure that the elections are non-biased and in accordance with the ASUNM constitution, he said.

Lacy-Mart°nez said he had no comment about the candidates’ campaigns, election rule violations or the possibility that someone could contest election results. He said it is in his best interest not to speak about these issues because he does not want to sway election results.

Lacy-Mart°nez was on the election commission last semester and said it has done a better job of submitting mandatory advertisements to the Daily Lobo this semester.

He said he encourages students to vote in the ASUNM election so they can express their views and show that they really care about campus issues.