Now that the 2020 U.S. presidential election is over, it is time to gear up for the equally important Student Government Association (SGA) election of 2021.
From March 8-12, UCCS students will choose who they want to be their student body president, vice president and senators. Student government election season at UCCS is an exciting time, but voting can be overwhelming if you are unfamiliar with the process.
A link to the ballot will be sent out to students’ emails on the morning of March 8. It will also be posted on the SGA website, and all SGA social media platforms.
In previous years, UCCS used the Mountain Lion Connect (MLC) website for the voting process.
MLC did not have any election features in place at that time so student employees could potentially access the ballot, which is not permitted. SGA did not want anyone to be able to tamper with the ballots, so they were forced to remove student employees’ access to MLC six weeks prior to the election.
Removing access affected SGA and Student Life, as many employees did not have access to MLC and had trouble planning events.
In Fall 2019, Jon Bogh, coordinator of civic engagement at UCCS, created a secure application URL and link to the ballot, in collaboration with Office of Information Technology (OIT) staff.
Registration is simple. In order to access the ballot, log in with your UCCS username and password. After the system verifies your identity, it confirms that you are an eligible “fee paying student.” Then, the system will ask students if they are a “robot” before they can cast a vote.
The application will not allow anyone to submit more than one ballot.
If you are unfamiliar with the candidates, information about each candidate and why they decided to run for SGA can be found at sga.uccs.edu within the elections tab. The Scribe will also publish a candidate spread on our website prior to election week.
Candidates also will be given the option to create a video introducing themselves to be posted on YouTube.
Student Body President Aidan Meadows recommends that students keep an eye on the SGA website and social media platforms to get the latest election information.
Meadows strongly urges that UCCS students exercise their right to vote in the upcoming SGA election. “You are voting for those who are going to represent your interests and be the catalyst for the myriad of impacts that are going to happen next year!” he said. “Students’ voices matter and it is often through SGA that your voice is heard!”
Bogh echoes Meadows’ view. He said that many students question if their vote even matters, but argues that each student’s vote is important and can determine the outcome of the election. “These [SGA electees] are the people that represent you to the Chancellor, to the Regents, to the Deans and to all of the people who make the decisions here on campus. When you have that kind of direct access, you want someone representing you and your interests,” he said.
If you need a further incentive to cast your vote as a UCCS citizen, bring the confirmation of your submitted ballot to the Student Life lounge during election week to receive a shirt or mug while supplies last.