The Associated Students, Inc. Board of Directors announced its schedule for the 2021-2022 ASI elections and deadlines for candidates’ campaigns during its board meeting Wednesday.

According to the schedule ASI approved, candidates can submit their letters of intent and official statements beginning Jan. 25 through March 5, and they can begin campaigning on March 18 once their eligibility is approved by ASI’s executive director.

Some eligibility requirements for candidates include having at least a 2.5 GPA, being in good academic standing and completing a certain number of residency units at Sac State, according to ASI’s website.

Voting in ASI elections will be open to students April 7 and 8.

“It ensures a fair election process for us to be very transparent very early on in the process about when the due dates are,” said Sandra Gallardo, ASI’s executive director.

Additionally, the board approved its contract with online voting software Big Pulse to oversee the elections, allocating $4,880 from its funds for their services.

Gallardo recommended the board approve this contract since she said that ASI has worked with Big Pulse for previous elections.

“I really appreciate the fact that we have an outside entity compiling our elections so that it is not us as ASI counting votes,” Gallardo said.

The board also discussed the upcoming general election and passed a resolution in support of Proposition 16. 

If passed by California voters, Proposition 16 would remove a statewide ban on affirmative action and allow California public education institutions to employ the consideration of race, sex, color, ethnicity and national origin in their admissions and public employment hiring.

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The board’s resolution states that the passage of Prop 16 would “allow for the CSU system to take a more active role in increasing diversity.”

“I think it would be wrong to assume that we can do that without taking those factors into consideration, considering they were the main deciding factors in a lot of the discrimination that took place,” said Noah Marty, ASI president.

To further one of the board’s strategic priorities of increasing student attendance at board meetings, the board allocated $150 to purchase gift cards for a raffle drawing. 

Students who attend ASI meetings for at least 45 minutes and post an Instagram story about the meeting will be entered into the raffle at the end of the fall semester for a chance to win one of 10 $15 Amazon gift cards.

Prabhjyot Shinh, vice president of finance, said more information and rules of entry will be posted to ASI’s Instagram.