Starting April 16, Drury students received emails requesting their vote on a bill introduced to the Student Government Association (SGA) called the Senator Suffrage Act. The Senator Suffrage Act is a bill that proposes changing the way SGA senators are elected in between election cycles, as well as voting protocol for senators and the SGA executive council. All SGA constitutional amendments must be brought before the student body for a vote.

Junior Cameron Higbe has been the driving force behind the bill. Higbe drafted the bill, bringing the issue of senator voting and election protocol to the student body’s attention. Alongside Higbe, freshman Mitchell Greer, sophomore Laura Nelson, and juniors Abbey Mercer and Steven Schupbach sponsored the bill.

“The point of this bill is to expand who gets to vote on certain issues. If a student wants to join SGA but did not apply during the normal, annual election week, they can be elected by SGA instead of by the entire student body like usual. Up until now, only the executive council (EC) voted on applicants, and thus only the EC admitted new members during these unique cases,” Schupbach explained. “The Senator Suffrage Act expands voting rights to the senators, allowing them to cast their vote for the applicants they believe in, in addition to EC. This bill helps to include the entire general assembly in the voting process for new members, instead of only the executives.”

The bill focuses on voting rights for SGA senators, but there are actually three important components of the legislation.

1. Senators receiving the right to vote on applications in between election cycles.
2. Procedural guidelines for senator interviews.
3. A cap on seat turn-over.

The bill attempts to reform the way interviews are conducted to select new senators. The process before the bill passed was an awkward process. Applicants would interview in front of the general assembly, and then step out into the hall as the general assembly deliberated the candidate. The Senator Suffrage Act changes this procedure so that applicants interview with SGA and then hear back at a later date, eliminating the discomfort of the former process.

Higbe felt it was important to include a cap for senator seat turn over in the bill in order to address the topical issue of shifting seats in SGA.

“There has been an unusual amount of turnover this past year, but nothing that exceeds the cap suggested in the bill. The cap is more of a precaution if turnover continues to increase in the future. With the new amendment, it makes SGA address the cause instead of the symptoms,” said Higbe.

After coming to a vote, the bill ended passed with unanimous support from the student body. It appears the students agree that it makes sense for our elected senators to be able to vote on all student government matters.

Higbe is satisfied with the result and feels the bill will create positive change.

“The passage of the Senator Suffrage Act is not just a personal victory; it’s a symbol of empowerment for senators: an invitation to be bold—to introduce bills to the GA and dare to champion causes they are passionate about—because they each have potential to enact real, lasting change on Drury’s campus,” said Higbe.

The procedures of SGA may seem to students to be far removed from everyday life, but their decisions – and the way in which they reach those decisions – affecting everyone on campus.

Thank you to all students who participated in the democratic process of voting on the Senator Suffrage Act. Student input matters, and students’ voices have been heard.

Article written by Ciara DuBan