Temple Student Government’s Elections Committee told The Temple News it had updated its Election Code to lower campaign spending caps.
The committee lowered executive campaign teams’ spending from $1,000 to $500 and Parliament campaign spending from $500 to $300. Students who are campaigning for these positions raise their own money and are reimbursed a portion of what they spend, said Woayorm Kumazah, TSG’s elections commissioner.
The Editorial Board understands these changes are well intended, but they do not go far enough.
Before campaigning starts on March 16, we are calling on the Elections Committee to abolish all campaign spending in order to remove any financial barrier in the way of students who want to be involved in TSG next year.
These absurd spending limits give privileged students the upper hand, and this has to stop.
This election season, the Editorial Board would rather see campaigns spend more time on their platforms, debates and student and community outreach. This is free of cost and will have a greater impact on the Temple and North Philadelphia communities — the ones you will be elected to serve.
Let’s start trusting that the student body won’t be swayed by expensive merchandise, and hopefully, if a campaign’s platform is substantive, a team shouldn’t need hundreds of dollars to get students to support it.
Editor’s Note: News Editor Colin Evans reported the accompanying news story. He did not write and edit this editorial.
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