Members of the University of Colorado Boulder legislative council meet on Jan. 19, 2023. (Isabella Hammond/CU Independent)
On Feb. 2, the University of Colorado Boulder Student Government (CUSG) Legislative Council ratified two new members and introduced two new bills about amendments to elections and student fee regulations.
Following routine announcements, the council voted to ratify Emalyn Adams as the multimedia chair and Taylor Renquist as the University Memorial Center board chair. Both nominations were ratified unanimously.
Then, CUSG conducted the first readings of two new bills.
The first bill, 98 LCB 01, contained a series of proposed constitutional amendments for the CUSG elections, which will take place in the spring of 2023.
The second bill, 98 LCB 02, proposed to amend Student Fee Regulations (SFRs) to “improve existing fiscal regulations, streamline the regulatory system, and remove ambiguity,” according to the bill’s text.
During the discussion of this bill, some members raised concerns about using student fee dollars to fund CUSG elections.
“I would love to try to find some other ways to ease the financial burdens on CUSG because it’s hard to afford to run for positions here,” said Internal Tri-Executive Rachel Hill. “But, I don’t think allowing student fees to fund certain tickets and candidates is the right way to do it.”
Following this, the council unanimously voted to move these bills to third readings.
In addition, the council discussed the second reading of another bill, 98 LCR 02. This bill recommends amendments to the election code for the Election Commission of CUSG Proper. The resolution proposes several changes, including the reversal of ranked-choice voting, the end of the representative-at-large ticket system in favor of independent candidate tickets and the establishment of a “trial by jury” system for the infraction tribunal.
The majority of the discussion focused on the proposed end of the ticket system within CUSG elections. Some members argued that students may find it confusing, while others felt that the system puts independent candidates at a disadvantage.
Jake Carias, the author of the resolution, said that independent tickets “highlight the individuals and who they are and what they plan to bring to council.”
nOther senators, such as Director of Student Affairs Alex Zyles, advocated for the ticket system.
“I voted last semester,” Zyles said. “For me, it was way easier to read through three tickets, rather than nine. I feel that removing the ticket system kind of opens it up to more potential confusion for the average voter.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Natalie Weiland at natalie.weiland@colorado.edu.
