A runoff election for the next Associated Students, Inc. president at Cal State Bakersfield will take place April 8\u20139 after no candidate received a majority in the first round of voting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The race is between Noor Kaur and Nevaeh Williams-Cardenas, the top two finishers in the initial election.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Voter turnout was under 9% of the student population. Still, participation reached its highest level in recent years, with 906 students casting ballots, according to Ilaria R. Pesco, director of campus recreation and wellbeing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pesco, who has been at CSUB since 2016, said this year\u2019s turnout marks the largest she has seen during her time at the university.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents\u2019 voices are so important, and I wish every student believed that their voice mattered,\u201d Pesco said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Despite the increase, the relatively low turnout highlights ongoing concerns about student engagement, according to campus officials and the candidates. Both candidates said the results show progress, but also underscore the need to better connect with students who feel disconnected from ASI.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first round showed that a large portion of our campus hasn\u2019t felt compelled to participate, and this is something I take seriously,\u201d Kaur said. \u201cA vote for me is a vote for a president who will make sure your voice is heard beyond the ballot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kaur said her campaign is centered on building stronger relationships between ASI and the student body through consistent, year-round engagement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m committed to building real, accessible connections between ASI and every student on this campus.\u201d said Kaur.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Williams-Cardenas said the close margin between candidates has increased the importance of outreach heading into the runoff election.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing into the runoff, my expectations and focus are centered around student connection and turnout,\u201d Williams-Cardenas said. \u201cThe first round showed that the race is incredibly close, which means every vote matters.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said her campaign has prioritized direct interaction with students across campus to build trust and understanding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m expecting to earn students\u2019 support by meeting them where they\u2019re at,\u201d Williams-Cardenas said. \u201cI\u2019ve taken initiative to go out and engage with students in between their classes, during their practices, and club meetings.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both candidates identified student disconnection from ASI as a key issue in the election.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kaur attributed the gap in part to a lack of visibility and communication from student leadership.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDisconnection doesn\u2019t happen by accident,\u201d she said. \u201cMy plan is to bring ASI to where students already are and create consistent touchpoints so that ASI isn\u2019t something students only hear about during election season.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Williams-Cardenas echoed that approach, emphasizing the importance of engaging students in familiar, everyday campus spaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReaching disconnected students starts with meeting them where they are, which is usually the classroom, student organization meetings, and everyday campus spaces,\u201d she said. \u201cSeeing ASI members in their everyday campus life is so important.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She added that increasing ASI\u2019s presence must go beyond digital outreach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSocial media is a great way for outreach, but direct interaction matters,\u201d Williams-Cardenas said. \u201cAll students should feel connected to ASI.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Williams-Cardenas also outlined potential initiatives aimed at improving student life, including expanding meal plan options, addressing transportation challenges for commuting students, and increasing attention to campus safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are all efforts I believe will make ASI more relevant to everyday students,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kaur said another challenge is that many students may not fully understand ASI\u2019s role or impact on campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think most students fully understand what ASI does, and that\u2019s not entirely their fault,\u201d Kaur said. \u201cWe haven\u2019t done enough to communicate our impact in a clear, relatable way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
If elected, Kaur stated she would prioritize transparency around ASI\u2019s responsibilities including funding decisions, advocacy efforts, and campus programming to help students better understand how their involvement can influence campus outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Williams-Cardenas also encouraged students who did not vote in the first round to participate in the runoff emphasizing the significance of each ballot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVoting is a chance for your voice to be heard,\u201d Williams-Cardenas said. \u201cSince the runoff is smaller, your vote carries even more weight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both candidates closed with messages encouraging broader student participation in the election.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis runoff is an opportunity to choose leadership that will show up for you consistently,\u201d Kaur said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Williams-Cardenas thanked students who have already participated and urged others to get involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our campus,\u201d Williams-Cardenas said. \u201cYour voice, ideas, and experiences matter. I encourage everyone to stay informed and vote.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The runoff election will determine the next ASI president by majority vote. Students can cast their ballots online during the two-day voting period.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A runoff election for the next Associated Students, Inc. president at Cal State Bakersfield will take place April…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":259199,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":["post-259198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259198\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}