By Lucy Benz-Rogers
Published April 19th 2008 in The Daily Bruin
Myha Ngo, a candidate for next year’s Graduate Student Association, declared last week that she is withdrawing from the race for vice president of academic affairs due to academic time constraints.
Ngo said she was notified in early April of her acceptance into the graduate program in social work, but after meeting with a counselor last week realized that her class schedule next year would make it difficult to fulfill her commitment to GSA if elected.
“I got in the (master of social welfare) program at UCLA, and I learned that my schedule wouldn’t allow me to fully assume the duties of VP if elected. ... With the schedule I would have next year, I would only be able to go to one out of three (meetings),” she said.
Voting began on April 15. GSA Director of Elections Cynthia Pineda-Scott said the candidate’s name will remain on the ballot since she did not officially withdraw from the race until Friday after voting began.
Because of the instant runoff voting system used in the race for vice president of academic affairs, in which voters rank candidates by preference, Pineda-Scott said it will not be a problem to recalculate the votes.
Pineda-Scott expressed regret for the end of Ngo’s candidacy.
“It’s unfortunate, but I understand. I think she realized she wasn’t going to be able to provide the time necessary for the position ... but I completely understand; graduate students are really busy."
Ngo said it is unfortunate that she had to make the decision after voting had already begun, but she hopes to remain involved and has high hopes for the remaining candidates.
“If (voters had) known sooner, they wouldn’t have had to waste their vote on me,” she said.
“I just want to thank everybody for their support in my campaign, and I hope to get involved in GSA in another capacity. I met the other candidates, and I think they’re qualified for the job, so I’m not too disappointed because I know they’ll do a good job,” she added.
Ngo said she was notified in early April of her acceptance into the graduate program in social work, but after meeting with a counselor last week realized that her class schedule next year would make it difficult to fulfill her commitment to GSA if elected.
“I got in the (master of social welfare) program at UCLA, and I learned that my schedule wouldn’t allow me to fully assume the duties of VP if elected. ... With the schedule I would have next year, I would only be able to go to one out of three (meetings),” she said.
Voting began on April 15. GSA Director of Elections Cynthia Pineda-Scott said the candidate’s name will remain on the ballot since she did not officially withdraw from the race until Friday after voting began.
Because of the instant runoff voting system used in the race for vice president of academic affairs, in which voters rank candidates by preference, Pineda-Scott said it will not be a problem to recalculate the votes.
Pineda-Scott expressed regret for the end of Ngo’s candidacy.
“It’s unfortunate, but I understand. I think she realized she wasn’t going to be able to provide the time necessary for the position ... but I completely understand; graduate students are really busy."
Ngo said it is unfortunate that she had to make the decision after voting had already begun, but she hopes to remain involved and has high hopes for the remaining candidates.
“If (voters had) known sooner, they wouldn’t have had to waste their vote on me,” she said.
“I just want to thank everybody for their support in my campaign, and I hope to get involved in GSA in another capacity. I met the other candidates, and I think they’re qualified for the job, so I’m not too disappointed because I know they’ll do a good job,” she added.
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers. Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections; the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.