Ten candidates for student government positions this year have joined together in the Student Action League, a voting slate of diverse candidates that, among other things, aims to increase minority representation in the ASUO.
Last year, the Progressive Students Starting Today slate, which aimed to “give a voice to the voiceless,” had 10 of its 13 candidates win seats in student government.
With its slogan “Powerful, Progressive, Engaged, Multicultural,” SAL doesn’t have an official platform because its candidates are running for different positions within the ASUO, Campaign Manager Yuka Murai said. However, SAL’s mission statement says the group aims to spread diversity and utilize each member’s experience, background, knowledge and leadership skills to improve campus.
“For us, of course, it’s really important working on the diversity issues,” Murai said. “That’s why I tried to include international students this year.”
The candidates also grouped together to save money and campaign more efficiently, Murai said.
SAL candidate and current Programs Finance Committee member Jared Axelrod said the group aims to have the Senate reflect the student body as a whole.
“We felt that a group of students, all coming from a wide range of backgrounds, we felt that by running together it would bring a new look to the Senate that would hopefully change it for the better,” Axelrod said.
Axelrod said the group also wants to ensure accountability with all ASUO officials.
While he said he doesn’t know much about PSST because he’s a freshman, Axelrod said working as a group has allowed candidates to campaign more efficiently and talk to multiple groups as once.
SAL, which was officially created at the end of February, also allows the candidates involved to practice debating with each other before they’re asked to do it as members of student government, Murai said.
Murai, a student from Japan, said the voting percentage last year was low, but she said wants to get fellow international students involved in campus politics to help bring up the percentage.
Last year, 9.86 percent of the student body voted in the general elections.

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