UHS’ Associated Student Body (ASB) is expecting an election for the 2022-2023 school year coming up in early March. ASB aims to better the lives of students at the UHS community by fostering a culture of inclusion, unity, and spirit. ASB is also an example of democracy at UHS, as the elected student body represents students’ interests and a variety of diverse perspectives when it comes to the school’s functions. 

Eligibility:

ASB is committed to opening up positions to students from all grades for application. However, there is an exception for the ASB President and Vice President, both of which require at least one year of experience in the ASB class. Requirements for other positions include a minimum GPA of 2.0, demonstration of good citizenship, and academic honesty. The list of candidates are sent out to teachers and counselors for a background check to ensure students are eligible to run for the positions. 

ASB Positions:

ASB positions can be categorized into two types according to their selection process: elected positions and appointed positions. Elected positions include the President, Vice President, Student Activities Coordinator, Club Commissioner, Spirit and Rally Commissioner, Boys’ Sports Liaison, Girls’ Sports Liaison, and Class Council Presidents. Elected positions, other than the Council Presidents, are first voted by the entire student population in the primary election and must receive a majority of the votes in the election convention from homeroom delegates. Appointed positions include Council Vice Presidents, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Representatives, Fine Arts Commissioners, Publicity Coordinators, Secretary, Service Projects Commissioners, Staff & Parent Liaisons, Student Wellness and Life Commissioners, Technology Commissioner, Treasurers, and Trojan Army Liaison. Appointed positions are appointed by the President and Vice President of the elected ASB and require an interview by the former President, advisors, and some senior ASB members in order to earn the position.

Election Process:

The election process consists of two rounds: the primary election and the Election Convention. In the primary election, candidates for elected positions must submit a filmed speech that will be played during homeroom for all UHS students. The candidates must also submit a picture and a short entry for publication in a special campus-wide newspaper issue that will be available next week. All students from UHS can participate in this voting process. 

“Last year, we only had about 80 votes in the primary,” senior and current Clubs Commissioner Quinlan Tobin said. “This year, we hope to strive for 10% of our population, which is around 150 when we exclude the seniors.” 

Voting begins on Friday, March 11, which is the day that the primary speech videos will be played, and closes on March 12 at 11:59 p.m. Convention delegates will be selected in the homeroom on March 11, and these delegates will represent the students in their class at the Election Convention. 

The results from the primary will be released on March 13, and the candidates with the most votes in the primary will move on to the Election Convention. If the candidates move on, they will then go to “Meet the Candidates Lunch” at the MPR on March 15 to present a 30-second speech to convention delegates. The official Election Convention will be held on Monday, March 21. At the Election Convention, the candidates will deliver two short speeches and answer several rounds of questions asked by their predecessors. The delegates will vote in rounds, with candidates being eliminated in each round. The Convention often takes a whole school day, and next year’s “Elected Seven” will be announced at the end of the Convention. 

Covid-19:

Last year’s ASB convention was held on campus but also had significant virtual components due to COVID-19 restrictions and mandates. 

“This year, if everything goes as planned, we hope to conduct the convention at the theater with half capacity and return to normalcy,” Tobin said. “However, we are also prepared if Covid gets worse; we will have delegates sit in designated rooms with candidates’ speeches streamed.” 

To future ASB members:

“I hope that they’ve seen everything we tried to do to bring back what the school normally operated before Covid,” Tobin said. “I hope they can continue that vision to bring it back further. […] And best of luck to all those who are running this year.”