28 Feb Your Guide to the ASI 2025 Vote
With the Associated Students Inc. (ASI) 2025 elections coming up, Titans might be curious as to how they can take part in electing the next ASI leaders for the 2025-2026 school year. All students enrolled at CSUF are eligible to vote in the ASI elections for the college’s Board of Directors (BOD) chairs along with their choice of ASI President and Vice President.
To view the list of candidates potentially representing ASI for the 2025-2026 school year, visit the ASI website under the Elections section to learn more.
The two-day voting period will open on Tuesday, March 11 at 8 a.m. and close on Wednesday, March 12 at 8 p.m. Voting will be conducted and accessible online. There will also be an election Block Party on March 11-12 on the Cal State Fullerton Quad, where in-person polls will be available along with free food, music and resources.
Runoff Voting Method
Marketing stickers made by ASI’s graphic design team to advocate voting. / Credit: ASI CSUF Flickr
California typically uses a plurality method for counting election ballots, in which the winner is the person who has the most votes. However, ASI uses the runoff voting method to cast ballots. With the runoff voting method, Titans will rank the candidates for whom they would most like to see elected to who they would least like to see elected.
With the runoff voting method, the winner isn’t automatically determined by who gets the most first-place votes. This also allows students to display their interest in more than one candidate on a single ballot. The election process is led fairly, with many precautions taken to ensure equity.
“We have a standardized policy that helps guide every part of our election program, from candidacy requirements to how winners are determined, said ASI Student Government Director Rebecca Hesgard. “During the campaigning period, the Elections Director leads the Elections Judicial Council, where requests for info and complaints are heard. We also work in collaboration with the campus IT department to make sure our ballot is accessible and that the results are counted correctly. We have a certification process where the ASI Elections Director, ASI Executive Director and Vice President of Student Affairs all certify our ballot results before they are announced. This ensures all our candidates have a very fair experience.”
Once all the votes have been cast, election officials will tally how many first-place votes each candidate got. The candidate with the least number of first-place votes is then eliminated. For those who ranked the eliminated party as their first choice, their second rank now counts as their first. This process continues until one of the candidates has achieved 50 percent or more first-place votes. Students are limited to only voting for the BOD representatives running for the College in which they’re enrolled. However, when it comes to the president and vice president, students can vote for any running candidate regardless of their college.
President and Vice President
Each presidential candidate runs with a vice-presidential candidate, meaning Titans must vote for the pair; the president and vice president cannot be individually voted for. Similarly, the president and vice president candidates must run as a team.
For many current student leaders, participating in ASI elections is the perfect chance to practice advocacy and leadership.
“Running for ASI elections is a unique opportunity to engage with higher education at a deeper level, where you can share ideas to improve campus life and actively contribute to positive change,” said ASI’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Andrea Ramirez. “It’s a transformative experience that helps you grow as a leader and advocate for the student body.”
Once a president and vice president are elected, they hire their three executive officers from a pool of applicants who apply for their respective positions. These executive officer positions are Chief Campus Relations Officer, Chief Governmental Officer and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.
Board of Directors
ASI Board of Director Members at the 2024 ASI Installation ceremony. / Credit: ASI CSUF Flickr
The voting for the board of directors runs the same as the president and vice president, but the number of candidates students can vote for varies depending on the College.
Currently, the College of Arts has four candidates, the College of Business and Economics has seven candidates, the College of Communications has two candidates, the College of Education has one candidate and the College of Engineering and Computer Science has eight candidates. The College of Health and Human Development has two candidates, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences has seven candidates and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics has two candidates. Each college can have two representatives on the Board of Directors and Titans can only elect individuals from their own College.
Make Your Voice Heard!
CSUF’s campus President, Ronald Rochon, talking with ASI student leaders at the 2024 Community Chat. / Credit: ASI CSUF Flicker
While ASI elections may be viewed differently by some, the students elected advocate and speak up for their individual Colleges and fellow students. By participating in the voting process, Titans can help make change not just for themselves, but for future generations of students who step foot on the CSUF campus.
“The biggest way to make change on campus is to try to involve yourself, to be a part of that,” said ASI Elections Director and CSUF fourth-year student DJ Giacchino.
For students wanting to impact the trajectory of their campus culture, ASI 2025 Elections offer exactly that.