ASB Candidates React to Campaigning Changes

By: Ryan Kaspar and Megan Yang

On Thursday, April 28th the rules surrounding campaigning for all student elections were changed. From now on, candidates are not allowed to hand out anything to fellow students.

These changes will apply to all future school elections, not just ASB officers, including Mr. and Mrs. Ranger, homecoming, and class officers.

“That was really the change that everyone was bothered about,” says Hailey Aston, the Activities Director at Redwood.

She adds “[Candidates] can still make posters and hang them up. [They] send me [a] flier and I will print 50 copies…and then they can make as many posters as they’d like, but they cannot hand anything out.”

Aston says “I think Admin felt like it was a way to make elections more equitable so that everybody has equal opportunity to campaign.”

Savannah Torres ’23, an ASB presidential candidate, says “I had things planned and I had things made ready to pass out and it just sucks that it had to be changed so last minute.”

She says the new rules feel “extremely frustrating,” specifically because several candidates had already prepared to pass things out.

While Torres thinks the restrictions are “very dumb,” she can also “see both sides of it.”

She adds “I understand some people can have more of an advantage when it comes to campaigning and having budgets…because a lot of people may not have the opportunities to be able to pass out things.”

Instead of passing things out, Torres is instead “focusing more on social media and in-person relationships with people.”

Keira Griffiths ’23, an ASB presidential candidate, says that the news was “very sudden” and that candidates were told about the changes 3 days before campaigning started.

Griffiths says “Honestly I was pretty upset because I had already ordered stuff with my own money that I worked for.”

She says “Our candidates this year were really looking forward to spreading the word by making stickers and t-shirts and telling us a few days before we’re supposed to start campaigning was not the right thing to do.”

She says the rules have affected her campaign “a lot” but she has also “adapted pretty well.”

Griffiths says “I’ve gotten the word out a lot using social media and making Tik Toks which has gotten me more well equipped with the internet.”

Izek Nelson ’24, candidate nominee for secretary, says “I’m extremely disappointed in the lack of communication when this change was made and how it has affected us as candidates.”

Nelson had already made purchases for campaigning week, as well as approaching a local business to help support him with the election. The business was able to donate free gift cards and stickers to Nelson’s campaign.

Nelson says, “It was honestly very embarrassing to go back to a professional business and tell them that I’m unable to accept their donation.”

Nelson does “not believe these changes are fair” because when it comes to campaigning on Redwood, “students want to see the candidates go above and beyond in order to show that they’re the best candidate for that office position.”

The changes that were made to campaigning “is something that the administration should have brought to the students to at least discuss with them their thoughts and ideas,” Nelson says.

Tags: ASB, asb elections, asb officers, campaigning, campaigning rules, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood rangers, student elections, visalia ca