Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article contains an incorrect spelling of David Terrazas' name.
Around the Duck Pond and throughout Smith Plaza, students with aspirations of becoming - and remaining - senators will be asking for votes over the next three days.
There are 20 candidates running to fill the 10 open seats in the Senate of the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico.
The polls open at 9 a.m. on Monday and close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Students can vote online at myunm or in person in the Student Union Building near the welcome desk on the second floor.
Current Steering & Rules chair, Jorge Rios, is not running for reelection, while Finance Chair Madelyn Lucas is up for reelection, making the future of both chairs uncertain. President Pro Tempore Satchel Ben is also not running for reelection.
Voting is open to any undergraduate student with a valid NetID and password, according to the ASUNM Constitution.
Next year Senate will likely be dealing with at least five new faces on the Board of Regents, the supreme decision-making body of UNM.
For two years, a Democrat-controlled Senate in the New Mexico legislature has blocked outgoing Governor Susana Martinez’s appointments leading to five of the seven regents’ terms ending this year.
The new Senate will also be dealing with dropping enrollment and a campus under scrutiny for transparency issues.
There are four slates, or groups of candidates with similar platforms who pool resources together, running in this election. Unite UNM, PACC ASUNM (an acronym for participate, advocate, communicate and create), Red1fining UNM and Ignite UNM. Six other candidates are running independently.
Unite UNM has two candidates, Elijah Jaffe and Daniel Stearns.
PACC ASUNM features Finance chair Madelyn Lucas, Jason “Jamal” Chadwick, David Terrazas, Orion W.E Dolly-Pierre, Jacob Tetrault and Ashley Varela are also running with this slate.
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Red1fining UNM has five members including Senator Mohammed Assad, Kristen Woodworth, Nieajua Gonzalez, Gregory Romero and Daevon Vigilant.
Two underclassmen make up the ranks of Ignite UNM — Andres Gonzales and Xavier Torres.
Alexia Lee, Antonella Riega, Mike Romero, Augustine Montoya and Michel Rivera are running independently.
Voter turnout was trending upward after the Fall 2014 elections saw less than 700 students vote. The presidential elections of 2017 saw voter turnout hit just over 2,400 students, about 13 percent of the undergraduate population.
Last semester, the Senate election gathered 1,402 undergraduate votes, an 8 percent turnout.
Many of the candidates in this election are first-semester freshmen and sophomores.
Justin Garcia is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers ASUNM. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter at @just516garc.
