A ringing endorsement

But many students know very little about these candidates and what they stand for. As has been the case in the past, this year's election process, if unaltered, will play out as nothing more than a popularity contest.

Can this possibly lead to a body that is representative and responsive to its constituencies? Not really.

There are, however, a few things that can be done to make the process less of a crapshoot and more of a viable election. And as the election process has continued to evolve from year to year, it has improved in many ways, but there is more that can be done.

Today, the UA Steering Committee will be discussing, among other things, the issue of candidate endorsements by campus groups. On the eve of the election, that is a discussion worth having.

First, by creating a formalized process by which campus organizations can endorse candidates that they believe represent their interests, an avenue of communication will be opened among student groups.

Some candidates who are active in groups, especially those with large membership, have a built-in advantage when it comes to seeking votes. This de facto endorsement system exists at present, but as was the case last year with some campus organizations, it is open to abuse.

By creating a uniform endorsement mechanism -- the NEC's Fair Practices Code currently has no formal endorsement policy -- the competitive advantage can be extended to anyone willing to work for it.

Not to mention endorsements will greatly simplify the decision process for voters, especially if groups are required to justify their candidate choices.

There is certainly no foolproof method for doing this, but here is an experimental plan worth trying for this election:

1. Candidates may seek endorsements from non-governmental SAC-recognized campus organizations, and groups may seek candidates. Both parties agree to an endorsement form that will be filed with the NEC by a set deadline.

2. Every endorsement must be accompanied by an explanation of why the candidate merits it.

3. The NEC would list all endorsements each candidate received along with their profiles online -- this would be more helpful than humor-laden 150-word blurbs candidates write that often say nothing at all.

4. So that every group's endorsement carries equal weigth, organizations may not use their resources -- flyers, listservs and anything else -- to promote individual candidates, but rather they may only promote the NEC Web site where all endorsements are listed.

By centralizing this information -- and providing useful heuristics for voters -- the UA will be able to greatly increase the legitimacy of the election process.

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