By Sasha Allen

Voting for the University of Maryland Student Government Association is now open until April 26 at 4 p.m. Here is a short guide, outlining the steps for students to cast their votes.

Why vote?

SGA is a student organization made up of student representatives that works with administrators, student groups, and in some cases, county and state politicians to create change on campus through legislation and initiatives. The organization also oversees funding allocations for student groups.

Alexandra DeBus and Scott Cronin, the two candidates for SGA president, both encourage more students to participate in the voting process.

“I encourage every single student to vote because every single vote matters,” DeBus, a junior biochemistry major, said. “Who we elect really is the person that we are investing our trust in, to not only work the closest with the university administration, but to make the right decisions for students, and to speak on issues that students care about the most.”

[UMD SGA executive candidates emphasize student well-being, sustainability in debate]

Cronin, a junior government and politics major, shares similar sentiments.

“Ultimately these elections have a lot of impact and turnout is historically extremely low, and that is disappointing,” Cronin said. “If we’re not accurately representing students, then what’s the point?”

Learn about the candidates

Students get to vote for three executive officers, a representative for their living community, and a representative for their major. There are 73 candidates total, but students can only vote for candidates that will directly represent them and their interests as members of this university’s campus community.

The majority of the candidates listed are running under one of two parties, Aspire Maryland or United Maryland. Each of the party’s specific initiatives can be found on their websites.

[UMD SGA candidates begin campaign for 2023 elections]

Find your ballot

Students can vote in SGA elections through Testudo and can find their ballot here. To find the correct representatives to choose from, students must ensure that their school addresses are updated in Testudo.

Cast your vote
Each candidate provided a small blurb about their initiatives for the position on the ballot. Students can read those and choose who they think the best candidate is. To submit the ballot, students must scroll to the bottom and select “submit.”