Billions of dollars were spent by both political parties this year for control of the White House yet Ohio University’s Student Senate fixated on much smaller amounts of money Wednesday night and its effect on a very different presidential race.
Student senate’s last meeting of the first fall semester since 1966 on Wednesday night was full of firsts as senators debated fundraising caps on annual senate elections that will not produce a White House resident, but do decide who wins the battle for the gavel in Walter Hall.
An 18-12 decision, with one abstention, was the first vote with more than a few senators opposing any resolution as well as being the first non-voice vote of the year.
As Mary Kate Gallagher, rules and procedures committee chair, went through the process of finalizing senate rules changes, several senators stopped the sequence of unanimous voting when Gallagher proposed increases on fundraising caps for senate candidates.
“We don’t need to increase it,” said Jackson Lavelle, an at-large senator, before the vote. “It will make it more difficult for candidates that can’t raise as much as other candidates.”
Drew Hudson, another at-large senator, argued that students from financially strapped backgrounds would be at a disadvantage in future elections compared to students who can fund their elections out of their own pockets.
Before the change, candidates for an executive position could raise up to $500 while those running for a senator position could raise up to $150.
With roughly 30 candidates running for each party annually, parties often raise six or seven thousands dollars among all their candidates, said Student Senate President Zach George, who voted against the change.
Senate Vice-President Amrit Saini voted for the change while Senate Treasurer Evan Ecos did not vote.
With the changes, executive candidates can now raise $650, a 30 percent increase, while senators can now raise $200, a 33 percent increase. In a separate vote, senators voted to increase how much campaign materials that are handed out, such as t-shirts, cups and buttons, can cost — from $2 to $4.
Senators did not change the rule that any candidates independent of a party can raise up to $1000 for their campaigns.
“(This increase) is so you can see an individual’s general ideas … for individual’s that can’t raise enough money as an individual, you can (fundraise) through personal connections and networking,” said South Green Senator Adam Brown, who voted in favor of the change, stating that the increase will allow senators to fundraise through their campaigning and better convey their message. “I feel like it’s more than reasonable for individuals who don’t have the money on hand to raise that money to get their message out there.”
While some senators argued that the amount increases are not substantial enough to change the process, other senators expressed concern over the kind of example this sets for those considering running for senate in the future.
“By increasing the amount of money, we’re sending a message the campaigns are about the fliers, the pens, the t-shirts when I think we should be out there soapboxing to people,” Hudson said. “As small a number as ($50) may be, it seems like we’re endorsing that idea.”
Comparing the fundraising cap increase for senators to the price of a textbook, Hudson said raising money is already difficult enough.
When considering running, Hudson added, some students may look at the new cap of $200 and decide the $50 difference between the rules changes would be better spent on a textbook than their campaign.
“It’s like having a major league baseball team then giving people the option to use steroids,” he said. “You don’t have to do them (but the option is there) for those that can.”
dd195710@ohio.edu
