By-Election to be Held for Council Members this Fall

KSA aims to fill ten empty seats by the end of October

Since the elections in February, a number of Kwantlen Student Association council seats have been left cold. Due to a lack candidates seeking election for the positions, no one is currently representing students who attend the Cloverdale campus, who are enrolled in the field of academic and career advancement, design, health, or trades and technology, or those who identify as aboriginal, mature, or students of colour.

Together with one absent arts and business representative apiece, that’s a total of ten vacant seats—an astounding number considering there are only 25 positions available on council at all. Also considering that many of those seats are designed to cater to the needs of minority groups at KPU, it is imperative that representatives are elected in order to have their voices heard within the KSA, and the university at large.

In order to address this dearth of representation, the KSA will be holding a by-election this fall for potential council members. Nominations will be open from Sept. 27 to Oct. 11, with the election taking place two weeks later on Oct. 25 and 26.

All four campuses will have voting booths on their grounds, and all members of the KSA are encouraged to put their ballot forward over the two days. Non-students are not permitted to vote in the by-election.

The preliminary results will be put out by the end of the month, likely within the last two or three days, with Oct. 29 being the earliest possible date.

Potential candidates are required to fill out a nomination form to provide proof that they are students at KPU. They also need 25 signatures from KSA members in order to be considered. After they pass that phase they will be asked for a brief written biography about themselves and their goals as a council member.

The KSA is relatively “hands-off” during the entire process, with the newly-elected chief returning officer, Ron Lauer, taking charge of most of the operation. Because there will be a new CRO during this year’s by-election, there is a chance that there may be slight changes to the process, but for the most part, it will be identical to previous years’ elections.

Jeremy McElroy, general manager of the KSA, suggests that nominees “get their nomination forms in early,” rather than leaving their submission to the last minute.

“When the elections start, get out there and let students know that you’re running,” says McElroy. “What makes a really great council member is someone who cares about their school. We really want people on student council who want to make campus a better place, who want to see things improved, who want to do fun and interesting things for their fellow students.”

“The people who have the most energy and excitement about being at KPU, and all of the things we do, are usually the ones who have the most success and have the best time on council. Those are the people that we’re looking for.”

CORRECTION: We initially  posted that “Students who have opted out as members of the KSA and non-students are not permitted to vote in the by-election.” Students are not actualy able to opt out as members of the KSA. We apologize for the error