Throughout February, students interested in becoming president of the Fairfield University Student Association (FUSA) can begin their journey to office. Declarations opened on Feb. 1 and will close on Feb. 7 at 5 pm. From there, students interested in petitioning should attend the election code session on Feb. 9 at 5 pm. Students can start petitioning the next day, and ballots will open on Feb. 19 at 8:30, an hour after the debate. A winner will be declared on Feb. 25 during an election party.
During last year’s election, there was only one candidate on the ticket. A last minute write-in effort by then-sophomore students Andrew Meija and Bryan Santos led to the pair being elected as the first write-in candidates in FUSA history. Senior Brianna McAleer, Associate Justice of the FUSA Court said that “it had never been done before.”
It is particularly unusual, as there are more specific rules in terms of campaigning for write-in candidates. FUSA Election Code Article 4, Section 6 states, “While any person who has not declared has the right to run for an office through the write-in candidate process, the FUSA Court retains the right to refuse a write-in candidate’s election if their campaign violates the standards set in Fairfield University’s student handbook and the FUSA Court Election Code.”
FUSA Election Code Article 4, Section 6 continues, “Additionally, in order to be considered a valid write-in candidate, the candidate must receive a number of write-in votes that is equal to the number of required petition signatures to get on the ballot. In regards to this election, a candidate must receive two hundred (200) write-in votes.”
McAleer, shared that there was “definitely less of a voter turnout than the previous year,” something she attributes to the fact that there was only one candidate on the ballot.
Senior Caroline Cody, Chief Justice of the FUSA Court shared that the 2024 election had only 519 votes submitted, in comparison with the 2023 election, during which 1,319 ballots were cast.
Despite last year’s unusual election, no new changes have been made to the process. McAleer pointed out that it’s up to the student body to show their interest and support in the election.
McAleer added she was hopeful that more people would run for FUSA President this year. “There’s no problem with the write-in process, but it’s a fun atmosphere to have multiple people on the ballot,” she said.
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