News | February 13th, 2020

FAMU Pushes Back Election Season, But Why?

By: Ezekiel Hobbs

As potential candidates are gearing up to launch their campaigns for the FAMU Spring 2020 election season, it seems as though they will have to put a halt to their preparations due to the news that elections are pushed back.

On Friday, February 7, 2020, the Florida A&M University Electoral Commission posted on Instagram stating that “Spring 2020 Elections will be postponed until further notice.”

Students at FAMU were left concerned and wanted answers as to why the elections were being postponed. Students also wondered when the elections will be back on or even if there will be an election in the spring of 2020.

“I’m disappointed it was pushed back my freshman year past spring break, and I thought of all the times that could’ve been prevented,” senior Political Science student, Jabari Knox, said. “I think this is a replica of the inconsistent work ethic in FAMU leadership.”

Knox posted a tweet on Twitter stating his concerns and how shocking it was to get the news that student elections were pushed back. As the tweet went viral in the FAMU community, students also voiced their concerns as well.

Every school year, the student elections are sought to be held during the first week in February.

The election process at FAMU is a highly anticipated event and is very important to the Rattlers on campus. Whoever the students select to be in the Student Government Association (SGA) and on the Royal Court go on to become representatives and the voice for students at FAMU.

Both SGA and the Royal Court are also great recruitment tools to admit high school students that have an interest in furthering their education at FAMU.

So why are the student elections postponed?

Student Government Senate President, Christopher Miller said, “The reason why the elections were postponed was because of not having important documents approved through the different student government branches. This led to the Chief Justice to shut down the elections until important documents got approved.”

FAMU SGA, along with the Electoral Commission, must follow certain criteria for procedures to operate smoothly on campus. Most of all, they must uphold the integrity that is placed within the FAMU Constitution.

“I would love to see the potential candidates’ campaigns and have them run for the different positions at FAMU, but if certain protocols are met we can move forward,” said Johnathan McLeod, Solicitor General in SGA.

Although the elections are put off until further notice, the representatives in SGA and the Electoral Commission are keeping a positive mindset. They view this as an opportunity for candidates to properly prepare their campaigns and be ready to put their best foot forward to receive votes in their favor.

“I believe that this is a good thing, mostly because this allows the candidates to have more time to properly and thoroughly prepare to run viable and exciting rattler campaigns,” McLeod said.

“This would be a good time for those people who need a little more time to get their campaigns together,” Miller said.

However, there is opposition to the decision that was made. Many are questioning whether this decision will mess with the potential candidate’s anxiety.

“Extending that past spring break now only creates more anxiety for the upcoming candidates,” Knox said. “Some candidates were excited for spring break because they knew elections would be over and they can go home, relax, and not be worried about winning a position or going to an event. Now their anxiety is extended for two more months.”

Knox previously ran in the student elections, so he also made it known that student elections can take a huge toll on you.

Between the beginning of March and the ending of March is the tentative time frame for students to expect for the elections to be back up and running. 

However, it is not confirmed until the Electoral Commissioner posts the official dates publicly for viewing.

It is safe to say that both sides of the spectrum want the best for the FAMU rattlers.

To keep things transparent between the students and The Electoral Commission, the Electoral Commission strongly advises students to send their questions and concerns to their email: student.elections@famu.edu .