Wednesday’s Associated Student Government meeting heated up as proposed changes to the ASG Election Commission guidelines sparked debate. The amendments, introduced by a former Medill senator who attempted to run for ASG President in 2024 but did not make it onto the ballot, focused on advocating for reforms in the election process.
Medill junior and former Daily staffer Luis Castañeda advocated for changes to ASG election rules in a presentation to the ASG Senate. He argued that the current rules “failed to uphold key pillars of a healthy democracy.”
According to the 2025 Election Commission guidelines, candidates must notify the Commission of their intent to pre-campaign, defined as conducting meetings with students. Castañeda proposed eliminating this section of the guidelines entirely, arguing that it creates barriers that prevent candidates from engaging with students and building support.
SESP sophomore and Election Commissioner Eliza Marcus opposed Castañeda’s suggestion, stating that the rule aims to ensure fairness by giving all candidates an equal starting point and allowing the Election Commission to oversee who is running.
“We want to encourage other people who may not have had such a long time to prepare to be able to start (campaigning) without having that unfair advantage,” Marcus said.
Castañeda’s next proposal was to change the current period for collecting signatures. Currently, students can begin collecting signatures starting Jan. 31.
Castañeda said the process should begin on the first day of the quarter in which the election occurs, arguing that Winter Quarter is a particularly demanding time for Northwestern students, and extending the signature collection period would help alleviate a burden on candidates.
He also suggested removing the current restrictions on social media campaigning during the signature collection period, arguing that social media should be used to boost involvement and participation.
“I hear people say, ‘Well, we don’t want to create a popularity contest.’ I propose that that is what a democracy is,” Castañeda said. “If you are more popular, you are able to get your message more out there, and you are able to enact things that you think need to change.”
McCormick junior and Senate Parliamentarian James La Fayette spoke out against this proposal, arguing that starting the signature collection period at the beginning of the quarter and removing social media restrictions could create an unfair advantage.
La Fayette added that social media can make getting on the ballot “a popularity contest” instead of a reflection of a candidate’s preparation and ability to gain support.
“Not everyone has an equal footing on social media,” La Fayette said.
Castañeda also suggested keeping the current requirement of 200-300 valid signatures to account for any invalid submissions and having the Election Commission continue to handle the signature validation process. However, Castañeda’s final proposal included allowing candidates to handle their own signature collection and submit the signatures either in person or online by the deadline.
Various critics raised concerns about the practicality of Castañeda’s proposed changes and the Election Commission’s ability to efficiently manage signatures under these new guidelines. After rounds of debate, ASG senators voted against moving forward with Castañeda’s proposed changes.
Castañeda said he hopes younger students will see a need for more changes to occur later on if the trend continues.
“Even if it’s not codified, I think at least it’s in people’s minds now,” Castañeda said.
After concluding his time at the ASG meeting, Castañeda said his advice to the aspiring candidates is to start preparing early, engage with others and ensure they understand the rules.
“I’ll admit, I wasn’t as prepared as I might have needed to be in order to actually get on the ballot,” Castañeda said. “But I do encourage people to get on that ballot, do whatever they can to get on the ballot, of course, following the rules, but I think it’s so pivotal to have more options, not less.”
In addition to the election amendments debate, the ASG Senate also passed legislation from the Jan. 8 meeting that allows ASG senators studying abroad to attend meetings remotely. Another piece of legislation introduced and passed at Wednesday’s meeting urged NU to better support undocumented students by partnering with organizations like the HANA Center to provide legal, mental health and advocacy resources.
SESP sophomore Britney Perez discussed her legislation aimed at addressing the topical underrepresentation and fear experienced by undocumented students.
“Speaking on behalf of students who are undocumented or have come to (the Advancement for the Undocumented Community) with these stories of being at Northwestern, they don’t know who to go to,” Perez said. “The fact that you can just go to any person that’s trained, any faculty member at Northwestern, and they have that knowledge, that would be a great resource.”
Additionally, Medill sophomore and new senator Mackenzie Kirkwood was sworn in and another piece of legislation was introduced. The legislation, proposed by Fossil Free NU, urges the University to transition to renewable energy, improve transparency on emissions and eliminate fossil fuel use on campus.
As the meeting came to a close, the Executive Board and Senate leadership read their reports aloud, including updates on various projects ASG is working on, such as advocating for vacant on-campus houses to become affinity houses for underrepresented groups.
The next ASG meeting is on Jan. 29.
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