The bill, which will take effect for the February general election, will shorten the time period in which campaign funds can be spent, increase the number of signatures required to run for office, limit campaign expenditures and require campaigns to be funded only by student fees.
Student Body President Jen Daum said the purpose of the bill is to clean up elections and to fix a broken system that favors students with greater resources. "What went on this past February was not an ideal campaign," she said. "It wasn't working. We are trying, to the best of our ability, to level the playing field."
Previously, students with financial problems could ask Congress for money, but Daum said this "opened a whole can of worms." Furthermore, students had no guarantee of being reimbursed. Daum said that under such a system, the best candidates could be encouraged not to run, making the entire student body worse off.
Natalie Russell, Finance Committee chairwoman, proposed an amendment that would have maintained student government's role in election financing. The amendment failed, which means that all students' campaigns -- not just those of low-income students -- will be funded entirely by Student Congress.
It is predicted that this will cost Congress about $8,000 annually, or about 3 percent of Congress' budget, said Tony Larson, speaker of Congress.
The bill also attempts to purify the elections process by forbidding officers of the executive branch, including the student body president, to endorse or participate in a campaign for any candidate. This sanction also was extended to members of Student Congress by the passage of a hotly contested amendment proposed by Student Affairs Committee Chairwoman Carey Richter.
"We are different from other student organizations," said Aaron Hiller, student body vice president. "We are the only student organization on campus that has to remain, by mandate, objective. The fact of the matter is political offices have been and will continue to be abused without this safeguard."
Members also debated how much candidates for Congress could spend on campaigns. An amendment from Rep. Will Dupont suggested a limit of $50, which was a compromise between the previous $75 and the proposed $20. The amendment failed, setting the limit at $20.
The bill also lowers the amount of money the student body president and Carolina Athletic Association president candidates can spend from $500 to $400.
