It is election time again at GW Law!  The SBA is scheduled to hold Senate elections on Tuesday, September 22nd.

As the legislative arm of the SBA, the Senate is critical to its success.  Senators propose legislation, approve the SBA budget, and work on various projects through their respective committees.  In addition, Senators work as liaisons between the students and staff to directly represent the interests of their constituents.  The Senate is comprised of members representing each class, and 1Ls have a Senator from each Section.  Senators typically meet every other week during the school year.

SBA President, John Sorrenti, believes that the Senate is crucial to GW Law in that it "provides the student body a way in which to raise and address issues.  They are the voice of the student body and are tasked with making sure that the administration is aware of and is acting on any issues that may come up."  Besides that, he says, it's "a great way to get involved at the school and enjoy some politics!"

This upcoming election is mainly for 1L Senate seats (one each from Sections 11, 12, 13, and 14 and one from Sections 15 and 21 combined) but this year there are also several open seats for other class levels (one seat each for the 2L Day, 2L Evening, 4L Evening, and the LL.M. classes).  While the deadline to announce intent to run in the upcoming election has passed, no one has yet expressed an interest in the 2L Evening Senator seat.  So, if you are a 2L Evening student interested in representing your class, please contact the SBA.

If you missed your chance to run in this election, do not fear!  The SBA will hold elections for the President, the Executive Vice President and, if there are any open seats, for 2L, 3L, and 4L Senators in late February 2010.

Candidates will campaign for the upcoming election throughout the week.  Voting will take place online on Tuesday, September 22, 2009, from 9:00 am until 8:00 pm.  Students may access the voting website via a link on the portal and may only vote for their specific representatives (for example, a 1L from Section 12 may only vote for his/her Section 12 Senator).  Winners will be announced at the end of polling on Tuesday.  If necessary, a run-off election will be held on September 24th.

We at Nota Bene wish the best of luck to all candidates!