Candidates Praise Campaign Reforms

As potential candidates for student government began collecting signatures Wednesday, several said the new rules of this year's election will lead to a more serious and inclusive campaign season.

Student body president campaigns are being affected most heavily by the changes. Under the Larson-Daum Campaign Reform Act of 2002, campaigns now are financed by Student Congress, the number of signatures required on petitions has increased and the length of the campaign period has decreased.

Student Body President Jen Daum said the primary goal when creating the new legislation was to level the playing field for all candidates. "Now, any student can run if qualified, regardless of economic background, and the shortened campaign will encourage candidates to focus more on their platforms," she said.

Within the four-candidate field for student body president, there are mixed feelings on the new legislation.

Student body president candidate Nathan Cherry said that while the money had no real effect on his decision to run, he did "feel hesitant to use student fees to fund campaigns for something part of the University population doesn't care about."

But others said the funding might allow students to run who otherwise would not have been able to finance campaigns.

Student body president candidate Sang Shin said he was encouraged to run by the new financial legislation. "I think this makes the race more fair," he said. "There might have been better candidates in the past that weren't as visible because they didn't have as much money."

The Campaign Reform Act now requires student body president candidates to get 800 signatures on their petitions instead of the 500 required last year.

This means candidates must make themselves visible to students early in the campaign. But because of new restrictions, they cannot campaign openly until after Jan. 21, and candidates don't receive funding for campaign materials until Jan. 28. This also is a change from last year, making campaigns two weeks shorter than they were before.

While this change could make obtaining the required signatures difficult, officials and candidates said it is one way to ensure that candidates are serious about seeking the position.

"With the shortened campaign schedule, there's no more messing around and wasting the students' time with tons of fliers," said student body president candidate Matt Tepper. "The last two weeks are going to be hectic, but there's going to be some strong campaigning going on."

Some candidates said these changes have created a new election atmosphere that might have implications in the future.

"I think all the reforms have really legitimized the process," said student body president candidate Ben Pickett. "Anyone that has a desire to run now can come out and have a voice. Hopefully, though, the financial legislation will have a bigger impact on the diversity of the candidate field in the future."

The new reforms also affect candidates for Student Congress seats.

Forty-one candidates have announced their plans to run for Congress. The number of congressional candidates has doubled since last year, and student government officials partially attribute this increase to Congress' redistricting efforts.

"A large portion of the Congress candidates are from District 11," said Brian Fauver, chairman of the Board of Elections. District 11 is the newly created "superdistrict" composed of all undergraduate off-campus students. "I think consolidating the off-campus districts has reduced the confusion and made it easier for candidates to know where to run."

But most congressional candidates said the redistricting had less effect on their decision to run than the fact that campaign expenses won't come out of pocket.

"Basically, the money creates a sense of equality," said Tripp Costas, candidate for congressional District 11. "Nothing can guarantee equal success, but this will guarantee equal opportunity."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.