Besides choosing the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico’s president, undergraduate students will get to elect a vice president today. Voters will also be able to select 10 of 35 senatorial candidates from three different slates.
The Daily Lobo spoke with vice presidential candidates of each slate and one independent senatorial candidate about a brief overview of their campaigns.
Daily Lobo: How do you feel with elections right around the corner?
Zeke Chavez: “I’m excited, I can’t wait. I’m nervous, of course, but at the same time, I’m very confident. I’m excited that I’m bringing a new campaign strategy and style.”
Ayham Maadl: “It’s exciting to near the culmination of all our hard work. Tomorrow is the last expression of our passion. We’ve learned a lot… I’m really nervous for tomorrow, but I’m really happy.”
Jenna Hagengruber: “It’s almost relieving to know that all the hard work and the effort that my team has put in is finally going to hopefully pay off.”
Brandon Aragon: “I’m actually really excited to be running as an independent. I feel the goals that I have for ASUNM are actually tangible and can get done.”
DL: Are you optimistic that your slate will sweep the election?
ZC: “We have some many people from so many different backgrounds. And I think that that’s going to reflect in the amount of turnout.”
AM: “At this point, honestly, I have no clue. I can give you the short answer that, ‘Oh, we’ve already won’… but all of us are pretty qualified.”
JH: “I hope that we have the opportunity to serve the campus the way that we all really want to now.”
BA: “I think I am (going to win), just being involved on the UNM campus, trying to get my name out there. I think I can really do good things for the senate and students see that.”
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DL: How do you plan to campaign on election day?
ZC: “My plan on that day is to be wherever our volunteers are going to be because…we’re going to have a lot of volunteers coming for election day.”
AM: “I plan on campaigning and doing a rotation of the polling places, just getting a feel for how it is out there. I’ve never been out 10 hours campaigning on a Wednesday.”
JH: “We just really, really want to be out in the public, out in the open. We want people to be able to see us, (and) if they have questions, be able to come and talk to us.”
BA: “Just outside of the Student Union Building. I’ll have a team as well.”
DL: What are you expectations for student turnout? How important do you think their votes are?
ZC: “ASUNM actually does quite a lot… That’s a big thing, what students needs to realize is that we determine what UNM has to say when we go up to Santa Fe, when we talk to people who make the laws of New Mexico. That’s a really big deal.”
AM: “Our personal goal of our team is not to win but to get as much to vote. We’re trying to break records like we did last semester with getting the voter turnout… Our efforts have been geared to at least get more people to go vote.”
JH: “I think it’s incredibly important for students to vote. Regardless of who they’re voting for, students are being represented by these 20 senators, by the vice president, by the president.”
BA: “Student voting is very, very, very important…I think it’s cool that we get to have this little bit of democracy here at UNM.”
DL: Why should students vote for you?
ZC: “We have experience, and we have new ideas… And not only that, we are the most diverse slate I think I’ve seen in recent election history, honestly.”
AM: “Students should vote for me and the slate that we represent because I have the experience, but at the same time, I’m new enough to not get used to any kind of systematic procedures.”
JH: “Rachel and I have been on senate for at least a year. We’ve both been involved with ASUNM for at least two years. The team has a lot of experience.”
BA: “I have a tangible plan for ASUNM. I feel like I can get things done…My platform has goals that can get done now.”
