ASUC 2019 Elections

After nearly four hours of discussion — the majority of which was spent in closed session — the ASUC Judicial Council announced that this upcoming Friday, it will deliberate on Student Action’s appeal of the ruling that disqualified the party's entire slate from the 2019 election cycle.

While calling for the elimination of the party system may seem drastic, at the very least, it will remove the rivalry that has distracted ASUC officials from their responsibilities for too long.

All three referendums — including two that will increase student fees to fund basic needs and entertainment programs, respectively, and another that will create an elected position within the ASUC — passed during the 2019 ASUC elections.

The ASUC presidency is largely symbolic — to many administrators, the president embodies the needs and desires of the student body. A strong president listens to and makes student voices heard in conversations that matter. A strong president doesn’t back down on the issues that are impacting students most. And this year, that president is CalSERVE’s Teddy Lake.

There’s no race closer than the academic affairs vice president, or AAVP, election this year — both candidates offer bold visions for the position. Ultimately, Student Action candidate Aastha Jha’s experience makes her the most qualified candidate in the race.

Perhaps now more than ever, UC Berkeley students need a tenacious and supportive student advocate. And that’s why you should vote for Nava Bearson.

CalSERVE candidate Varsha Sarveshwar is running unopposed for External Affairs Vice President, or EAVP, in the upcoming 2019 ASUC elections, campaigning on a platform to make student voices heard in “spaces of power” that make policy decisions affecting the campus community.

For the first time since 2016, candidates from both of UC Berkeley’s major political parties, Student Action and CalSERVE, will face off for the position of executive vice president, or EVP, in the 2019 ASUC elections.

The ASUC Elections Council met Friday for its annual Point of No Return meeting, during which it determined ballot specificities for the 2019 ASUC elections.

UC Berkeley sophomore Eatone Cheng announced his independent senate candidacy for the 2019 ASUC elections.