Envision slate to nominate any Directors-at-Large; two Lead Directors running unopposed
That’s right, it’s election time again. I know, we’re unhappy about that, too. File graphic by Niusha Derakhshan
The candidates for the upcoming UVSS election have been announced, and there is only one full slate running in the UVSS election this year: a situation that many are considering unprecedented.
The Envision slate has 16 candidates, filling out each of the five positions for Lead Director, and 11 for Director-at-Large positions. There are two Envision candidates are running unopposed for the executive positions, and they are the only party to nominate Director-at-Large candidates.
Envision’s only challengers are a two-person slate — dubbed the “Purple Party” — and one independent, named Dirk Slot.
Usually, slates are groups of 10 to 15 students campaigning under a single name, with combined resources and similar positions. There are typically at least two or three slates in each election, representing some sort of ideological divide — whether fiscally, socially, or both. This year, however, is different.
Ciel Arbour-Boehme and Pascalle S. Ricard are running for Director of Campaigns and Community Relations, Director of Events, respectively. The two of them make up the two-person “Purple Party”; a name that could be a play on the fact that the “En-slates” of the past three years have used purple in their electoral campaigns.
Dirk Slot is running as an independent candidate for the position of Director of Student Affairs.
For a full list of candidates, check out the elections website here.
Entering uncharted territory
A lack of opposition candidates means that the positions of Director of Outreach and University Relations and Director of Finance and Operations are being competed by one person each.
The rules regarding races with only one Lead Director candidate vary slightly. Instead of choosing between two or more candidates, students are asked to vote “yes” or “no” to elect the sole Lead Director candidate. This has become a recent trend, occurring in 2013, 2014, and 2015, and once in 2003. In every instance, the candidate was voted in.
The UVSS’s electoral policy does not dictate what would happen if an unopposed Lead Director candidate got more “no” votes than “yes” votes. In a meeting with the Martlet, Cameron Fox, the director-at-large in charge of electoral policy, confirmed that the Chief Electoral Officer would make arrangements for a by-election if that were to be the case.
Lack of candidates
There are no third-party candidates for any of the 11 Director-at-Large positions, meaning the positions are “acclaimed” — the 11 candidates will be automatically appointed to the UVSS Board of Directors.
In another indication that fewer students than before are interested in running the UVSS, no students have put themselves forward to be the International Student Relations representative on the board. Due to a lack of candidates, UVSS Elections has decided to extend the nomination period to Feb. 15.
Familiar faces
Most of the faces on the Envision slate are new, but there are returning candidates. Noor Chasib, Pierre-Paul Angelblazer, and David Stevanovic are all running to maintain the positions they currently hold (Director of Events, Director of Outreach and University Relations, and Director-at-Large, respectively).
Envision is the third party in the mini-“En-Slate” dynasty, following “Encompass” and “Energize” (the current board’s slate).
None of the other three Lead Director candidates have served on the UVSS board before.
This article was updated on Friday, Feb. 16, to include the fact that both 2014 and 2015 saw candidates running unopposed for Lead Director positions, and that there is no quorum that dictates if Directors-at-Large are elected. We apologize for the mistakes and sincerely regret the errors.
