SGA elections move to OrgSync, campaigning and voting schedule changes
Students looking to vote in the Student Government Association election next week will have to go somewhere they may have never gone before.
Since having been held on http://vote.cmich.edu for several years, SGA elections will be held on http://cmich.orgsync.com, the university’s official network for registered student organizations.
“It is semi-inconvenient, because you have to go on and register, but in the long run, it moves toward having this one website as a hub for all RSO activities,” said Garden City senior Brittany Mouzourakis, the current SGA president.
Tom Idema, assistant director of Student Life, said any CMU student can go on to OrgSync and register. He said there were 3,991 CMU students registered on OrgSync as of Tuesday afternoon.
SGA Elections Chairwoman Kristin O’Brien said a major reason for the change was to ensure only currently enrolled CMU students vote in the election.
“(The old website) was hard to verify people on,” the Fremont senior said. “We had a lot of alumni voting, because they had a (student account).”
Official campaigning began last week, and votes can be cast from 12:01 a.m. on April 4 to noon on April 7.
Two weeks of campaigning and four days of voting is a change from last year, which had three weeks of campaigning and seven days of voting, Mouzourakis said. She said she requested voting be cut off before the weekend, so there was less chance for any campaign foul play at parties or weekend events.
“I requested that voting never go over Thursday night ever again,” Mouzourakis said.
O’Brien said years before 2010 only had three days of voting.
She said it was also decided that candidates can continue to campaign during the voting week, which is a change from previous years. Although they can campaign, they cannot make any students sign up for OrgSync or hand them a computer to cast a vote for them.
“They can go to any hall, go to any organization,” O’Brien said. “They didn’t really have a lot of time to campaign because of how spring break fell.”
The presidential candidates are Grand Blanc junior Robert Brooks and Shelby Township senior Vincent Cavataio and their respective vice-presidential candidates, Brighton sophomore Colleen McNeely and Jackson junior Bryant English.
Port Huron junior Dan Wiley is running uncontested for treasurer. Saline junior Evan O’Reilly, Saint Johns junior Sabrina Hebeler, Flat Rock sophomore Brittany Santure, Alma sophomore Anna Dvorak, Sparta freshman Spencer McKellar, Prudenville junior Ian Moloney, Hemlock senior Brett Weiskirch and Grant junior Mara Kieren are running for eight of 23 vacant Senate seats.
