Ramblings on Election Rules

So here we are, one week away from "official" campaign season, when candidates can announce what they intend to run for. The election rules are written so that election season has a definite beginning and end, and there are serious penalties for campaigning early. These rules were initially designed to help candidates not overwork themselves during campaign season. The current form of the election rules were written after a controversial election in 2009.

At the time, there were little in the way of limits on the money that students could spend on their campaign. That year, two presidential tickets went all out, buying full-page ads in the Northern Iowan, paying for billboards on University Ave. and TV commercials. The spending by students amounted into the thousands, and that was a great concern considering that students of well-means would have a considerable advantage in running campaigns. In addition, at that time campaign season lasted for three weeks, and by the end of it many students and candidates were exhausted by the process.

This led to the reformation of the current rules, which you can find here , and download a copy yourself at the bottom of the page. As of now, election season only lasts two weeks, and campaigns have to report what they spend. When I was running, we had to submit weekly spending reports; spending money on buttons, fliers, pizza for your campaign team, buying ads on Facebook, etc. This stuff adds up, and Presidential campaigns cannot spend more than $1000 total.

However, there are several things that Presidential tickets are either doing or have been doing for a couple weeks now. First, they are building their campaign team - a core team that works with the ticket to shape the message and tone of why they deserve your vote. Typically this is at least a campaign manager, graphic designer, web designer and others. Campaigns need to have good looking logos, a website that presents themselves professionally and a manager to shape the message and keep everyone on the same page. When I was running, I realized very quickly that there are a very small number of students on campus who can build a website from the ground up. These people become more valuable than diamonds once election season rolls around. Smart campaigns know this, and I've heard of candidates putting teams together as early as October for an election in February.

Between putting together their teams and writing their platforms, there is actually quite a bit of work that goes into campaigns before they even begin. Typically, the last thing these tickets do before the season starts is get an NISG-recognized org in place. They need to do this to reserve rooms around campus, stake time for tabling in the Union, etc. But most importantly, it is an informal way of publicly throwing your hat into the running. To get recognized, the NISG Senate has to vote to approve your organization. They meet on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. in the University Room of the Union, and they're always open to the public.

So far this semester, I've been in contact with the NISG Speaker, Eric Boisen, watching out for tickets to get their org registered. It's usually pretty obvious, the org for the Walrath-Goldsmith campaign was something like, "Students for Spencer and Ian." What has been interesting is that despite elections beginning next week, nobody has registered an org yet. The last time to do this would be next Wednesday night's Senate meeting, so stay tuned. So far I've only heard rumors about campaigns, and the rumors are flying! So stay tuned, subscribe for email updates, and "Like" the Northern Iowan's Facebook page to keep updated in all things NISG.

The Blog is Back!

The Blog is back! 

I’m Corey Cooling, and I am pleased to announce that I will be covering this year’s Northern Iowa Student Government  (NISG) elections on the Northern Iowan’s blog, NISGElections.com. I’m in my fifth-year “victory lap” here at UNI and I’ve worn quite a few different hats. I’ve been a senator and election commissioner for NISG, been an opinion writer for the NI for two years, and last year I ran a campaign to be your student body president. This year I have the distinct pleasure of hosting your “one-stop-shop” for everything related to this year’s elections. Whether you’re putting together a campaign yourself or are looking for the latest in what the candidates are up to, I hope you will join me here on NISGElections.com

The blog began in 2011 after a series of controversial elections and derisive infighting in the Senate. That year two NISG veterans decided to expand the coverage of NISG for the student body to get a better idea what their representatives were up to. Four years later, the Senate has been totally reformed and many of their policies have been updated. We’ve had several really tight Presidential elections with razor thin margins. With President Ruud in his second year and the new Regents funding model being debated, UNI students now more than ever need good representation to the administration and the Legislature.

I’ll repeat a promise made when the blog was founded. Through the blog, I will do everything I can to give you news you can’t get anywhere else. I’ll show you what the candidates are paying attention to so that you can pay attention too. I’ll look closely at the candidates and their platforms and call them out if they’re unrealistic. I’ll see how proposed policies would really affect students and student groups, and I’ll be frank and honest with what I find out.

As a former candidate for president, I'll be able to get you analysis and context to describe what the candidates are thinking about, because I’ve been there. From building up Facebook friends to designing logos and websites, I’ll be here to cover what’s going on behind the scenes. I’ll also give you my honest opinion about the candidates and give them hard questions in interviews. It’s my goal to give student voters a wealth of information to make their choice of candidates for both Senate and President/Vice President.

I’ll end with some dates to keep in mind as election season looms in the coming weeks. This year’s Election Commissioner is Justice Nathan Davis and his job is to help candidates campaign within the rules and get on the ballot. In order to get on the ballot for any position, you must fill out a form that can be picked up at the NISG Office (top floor of the Union) beginning on Friday, Feb. 6. That’s a week from Friday! For other information from Nathan, check out the election info site at http://www.uni.edu/studentorgs/nisg/elections or email Nathan at davisnal@uni.edu. Formal campaign season begins Monday Feb. 9 at 8am.

I’m hoping this year’s election will be exciting and informative, and I hope you stay tuned.