AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - In addition to voting for candidates next week, students will also vote on referendums that could change the SGA Code of Laws and reform how future elections results are tallied.
Amendment One focuses on language and cleaning up the SGA Code of Laws. SGA Code of Laws Director Max Zinner told Eagle Eye TV that this amendment would not impact the day-to-day operations of students or even SGA. It would simply clarify language on the Code of Laws and
Amendment Two looks to change how votes are tallied and get rid of runoff elections for SGA President, Vice President and Treasurer.
The instant runoff system would have students rank candidates in order of preference. A candidate would have to get at least 50 percent of the vote to win the election. If no candidate has 50 percent of the first place votes, second place votes are distributed amongst candidates. If no candidate still has 50 percent of the total votes, third place votes and beyond are looked at until a clear winner is determined. This would eliminate the need to have a runoff election between the top two candidates.
Students would still be able to vote for just one candidate if they chose to.
In the current system, if no candidate receives over 40 percent of the vote, the election goes to a runoff between the top two candidates. Those runoff elections typically see lower voter turnout and may not as accurately represent the student body, according to SGA Code of Laws Director Max Zinner.
In order for the referendums to pass, at least 25 percent of the student body must vote, with 2/3 voting to pass them.
