Click here to vote and view candidate platforms: Vote.umich.edu.
All student government elections will occur over the same period from midnight 11/20 to 10 PM 11/21, with various seats available at the same ballot link under “Current ballots.” You should see the “CSG Election – UMPD & Ballot Questions” under this tab. If you have multiple schools that you pay student fees to, you may be eligible to vote in multiple elections.
If you have been keeping up with the University of Michigan’s Central Student Government (CSG), you have probably become familiar with the turmoil under the controversial SHUT IT DOWN (SID) administration, led by a president and vice president who have now been impeached. Beyond the legislative gridlock, the mass recalls and failed walkouts have led to a record-setting number of seats up for the election. With no polling, the results of this election are uncertain. SID may reclaim a plurality of seats necessary to stay in power, Empower Michigan may successfully defend the seats of their new members for the next term, or a close election may usher in a new coalition government. Because turnout for these elections has historically been low, any marginal fluctuation in who votes can remarkably change the election results and impact the entire student body. Responsibility over CSG’s most consequential responsibility a budget of over a million dollars– hangs in the balance as a result of these elections.
In this article, we aim to inform the voters of election facts, candidate pledges, and whether these candidates’ track records match their promises.
Additionally, CSG’s election team has a voter guide with hyperlinks to additional information.
The Facts:
This student government election is the most competitive special election in the history of the University of Michigan. Due to numerous SHUT IT DOWN membership recalls and resignations, 16 vacated seats, which were filled with interim seatholders by appointment, are now up for special election to fill the full term. The fall University of Michigan Police Department (UMPD) student seat is also up for election.
The number of seats and candidates per school up for election are as follows:
- 9 School of LSA open seats; 83 LSA candidates
- 4 Rackham Graduate School open seats; 15 Rackham candidates
- 1 School of Business (Ross) open seat; 9 Ross candidates
- 1 School of Social Work open seat; 3 Social Work candidates
- 1 School of Dentistry open seat; 1 Dentistry candidate
- 1 UMPD open seat; 10 candidates
There are also 3 constitutional amendments (CA 14-001 through 14-003) on the ballot. Amendment CA 14-001 would affirm the Central Student Judiciary’s ability to review a petition’s constitutionality and issue non-binding opinions on any relevant rules or enforcement. This was introduced following the infamous petition duel that resulted in the Wolverine’s Budget Act passing after 6 months of gridlock. CA 14-002 would create a “Disability Advocate” position that has the ability to participate in CSG meetings, introduce legislation, and facilitate dialogue between advocacy groups. Lastly, CA 14-003 would establish a veto process period of 5 days. This amendment targets the current veto process period that can be used to keep passed legislation from enactment for over a month during holidays. Each amendment needs 60% of voter support to pass.
The CSG election uses a system called Single Transferable Voting (STV), which functions like ranked choice voting (RCV) in single-seat races and proportional representation in multi-seat races. In the Winter 2024 elections, the first election that used the practice, the proportionality to vote share was nearly identical, resulting in a diverse assembly where 4 running parties and multiple independents all won seats. Under the current voting system, voters have “one” vote that gets distributed to multiple candidates as winners reach the mathematical threshold to win the race.
STV for single-seat races uses an RCV approach, where a candidate can only be elected with a majority vote. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the lowest performing candidates are eliminated and their voters are redistributed according to who they marked as their second favorite on their ballot. This process is repeated until a candidate receives a majority. It is in the voter’s best interest to rank all the candidates, so their vote will count even if their top choices are eliminated. It is a newer system, a seemingly complicated system, but a much fairer system for the representation of the electorate.
STV for multi-seat races uses a proportional representation approach. In a proportional representation system, seats are determined by percentage of the vote, as opposed to winning a majority or plurality of votes. The percentage of the vote gained for a party will net them a proportional amount of seats in government, so even if your preferred party falls short of a majority, it has a high chance of earning at least some seats.
There are 3 major parties: KEEP IT RUNNING (KIR), SHUT IT DOWN (SID), and Empower Michigan. The aforementioned parties are listed in descending size by candidate amount. KIR has the largest CSG slate with all 17 races contested or endorsed and has an LSA SG slate of 8 seats. SID is the only party that also ran under the same name in the Winter 2024 elections, with 13/17 races contested. Empower Michigan features the most incumbents and experienced roster, with 13/17 races contested.
There are also some notable independents and endorsements impacting the election. KIR has the most officially filed endorsements with 3, while KIR has endorsed Independent Social Work candidate Reyhaneh Najafikoupaei and Independent LSA candidate Jensen Stanzi. Another independent, Alec Hardy (LSA), was endorsed by UM Men’s Rowing. Both SHUT IT DOWN and Empower have not gathered any official endorsements (as of 5 AM, 11/19). An unregistered affiliation of 5 LSA candidates called “Fresh View” is running an outsider campaign. Another LSA independent Keshava Demerath has campaigned on “Conscientious Governance.” Another LSA independent, Sam Safirstein, is running on a fundraising platform to supplement CSG’s shortfalls. While it has been hard for independents to get elected in the past, the new STV voting system will improve the odds of independent campaigns taking seats.
The Promises:
SHUT IT DOWN
SHUT IT DOWN is a self-admitted Palestinian activist campaign. Claiming their movement was “never meant to uphold the status quo,” SID is running on diverting CSG funds to Gaza, a policy the party failed to secure last term. They are also still running on a platform of government shutdown. They threaten to stop all of CSG’s funding disbursements to student organizations, CSG employees, CSG compensation recipients, and programs including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal subscriptions. This shutdown is only to be ended on the condition that the UM Board of Regents fully divests from Israel.
SHUT IT DOWN provided the following statement to the Review:
“[SID] exists as a movement, a statement, that for as long as the University is complicit in Genocide, we will disrupt University — and CSG — operations. CSG came from student activism, and is the largest and most direct avenue for students to democratically state their disapproval of the university’s immoral investments. Upon securing a majority we will increase the support of our low-income students and we will repatriate funds to the communities most affected by our university’s complicity in war crimes.”
Editor’s note: The “most affected” by “war crimes” statement is in reference to the Rebuilding Education in Gaza petition that failed in October, which aimed to divest over $400,000 of CSG funding to the Birzeit Institute in Gaza.
KEEP IT RUNNING
KEEP IT RUNNING (KIR), named in response to SHUT IT DOWN’s 7-month protest that delayed student funding, has pledged to restore student funding. KIR similarly proposes to introduce a constitutional amendment mandating that funding be disbursed, regardless of CSG’s legislative makeup. They began their campaign with a 6-point plan, making free speech, safety, and labor protections their foremost priorities. KIR is also running on a platform of creating stronger public safety and housing affordability while protecting unions and entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan. KIR also advocates for limitless club funding for justified spending, repealing CSG’s $10,000 limit cap on imbursements, and expanding CSG funding to cover more club expenses like food, merch, and venue renting.
KIR’s candidates also tout individual policies. Sophomore Alex Richmond, an intern for the Rules Committee Chair now running for office, vows to create a low-cost daycare program if elected.
KIR Party Chair Jason Nuridjanian provided the following statement when asked to explain his motivation for running:
“Before this campaign, I stayed out of politics. But over the past year, SHUT IT DOWN has wreaked havoc on our campus, and the establishment in eMpower has stood by, ignoring the rise of anti-Semitic violence and the misrepresentation of Arab voices. Enough is enough. I’m running to end the excuses, tear apart the barriers suffocating our student orgs, and bring real, tangible results. It’s time to take back our government, put students first, and KEEP IT RUNNING!”
Empower Michigan
Empower Michigan has also pledged to protect funding. EM’s platform consists of protecting the democratic process and uplifting students’ voices to guide CSG’s output. Like KEEP IT RUNNING, Empower also stands out on an individual basis. Their central platform has a few overarching goals while individuals have more nuanced proposals for CSG. Along with restoring funding, Empower Michigan is running on protecting CSG’s democratic process and creating more ways for direct student input on CSG decision-making.
Representative Riley Kina, an appointed incumbent, spoke to the Review:
“My top three priorities right now are the establishment of a [Disability Cultural Center], the creation of a bereavement policy, and increased student access to reproductive care (although there are a number of pressing issues on campus that I also care about and would like to see change on)!”
Along with establishing a party agenda, Empower Michigan has encouraged its candidates to run on policies important to them. Rackham candidate Devin Woodruff listed an extensive plan to increase funding to underserved identity organizations, reform the once-vibrant “Wellness Policy” in CSG, and expand bus routes.
The Track Records:
SHUT IT DOWN, is the only incumbent party. For 4 months, they were largely successful in forwarding their shutdown goals until the end of October 2024, when institutional inexperience and attendance delinquency halted their plans. If they are given a new majority, they will shut down CSG, baselessly claiming it is complicit in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War. SID previously tried to divest funds from CSG to Gaza in October. The failed Rebuilding Education in Gaza petition was intended to divest over $400,000 to the Birzeit Institute in Gaza.
Additionally, a half dozen SID candidates, including the party chair, were present and participated in the protests and verbal assaults levied at the October 8th CSG meeting, which forced attending members to evacuate and led to the impeachment of the President and Vice-President, both SID members. A source familiar with the matter said that the Elections Team lacks the authority to disqualify candidates for pre-election behavior; however, a civil suit in CSJ or a University-initiated intervention could disqualify those members from holding office, though unprecedented. Additionally, no SID candidate thus far has authored an operative resolution nor has indicated plans to use their non-finance abilities in CSG to enact a clear agenda.
KEEP IT RUNNING mostly consists of independents, activists, previous candidates, and non-UM experienced officials. LSA candidate Alex Richmond is an incumbent in LSA SG, being one of the most prolific members of government. Richmond co-authored the Wolverine’s Budget Act that ended SID’s protest after campaigning for the 1,058 signatures required for its introduction. Richmond also has authored multiple pieces of legislation as an external author including the Disability Advocacy amendment on this very ballot. KIR Party Chair Jason Nuridjanian is a member of the Ross BBA council. Sources suggest that he has secured their support in the upcoming election.
Empower Michigan is a continuation of prior CSG governing coalitions. From envisionBLUE in 2022, to Forward Together in 2023, to MomentUM and United for Michigan in 2024, the party leaders and many of the candidates remain the same. However, despite their entrenched history, this specific ticket has many “rising stars” such as younger CSG interns, appointed representatives running for the full term, and ambitious upperclassmen who seek a voting position in CSG. Specifically, LSA candidate Riley Kina has the most CSG experience and legislative history, authoring the most resolutions of any candidate running by a wide margin. Kina’s most notable contributions include The Laundry Cost Transparency Act, disability advocacy, bereavement policy proposal, and reproductive access. While a majority of its candidates are untested in government, Empower Michigan has avoided the same level of controversy as SID and presents itself as the establishment choice. Party co-chairs Eric Veal Jr. and Lucas Korn are incumbent representatives with lengthy track records, largely signaling a continuation of CSG’s current trajectory on programming, DEI activism, and outreach.
Putting it all in perspective: KEEP IT RUNNING and Empower Michigan are interested in governing, while SHUT IT DOWN is not. Between KIR and EM, KIR has more plans on paper but EM has institutional support from legislative leaders. We encourage you to consider what you want specifically out of CSG when making your decision.
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All feedback is appreciated. Please direct all questions and concerns to tfioritt@umich.edu or michiganreviewteam@gmail.com. We will be back to cover the March elections, in addition to hosting and moderating multiple debates throughout the Winter CSG cycle.
Disclaimers:
This article reflects the views of authors Tyler Fioritto and Rob Gioia.
Wade Vellky is an editor for the Michigan Review and is a CSG candidate for the College of LSA. Wade Vellky had no access, input, or editorial contributions to this article due to his active candidacy.
Tyler Fioritto has co-authored some of the linked legislation in CSG and has run with some of the CSG candidates in the past. Fioritto has served in Central Student Government as the Ethics Chair of the 12th assembly. Fioritto is not currently a student and has not made any official endorsements in this election cycle.
