Student Election Portal to Implement 5 for Yell Button

Texas A&M University Student Government Association’s Election Commission released plans Tuesday night to add a new feature, the 5 for Yell button, to the online election portal. The button aims to alleviate annual voter confusion by allowing users to autofill their online ballot with the 5 for Yell candidates with just the press of a button.

Many students have welcomed the change, citing the difficulty of remembering five names as a significant barrier to having their voice heard. “I would always struggle to remember the 5 for Yell candidates’ names,” said John Steinmaurer, a junior economics major. “I would mix them up with whatever country act was playing at Harry’s last Friday. If I saw a Cooper or Parker, I’d just lock ’em in.”

The new website feature is designed to address the inability of current students to remember anything about that year’s 5 for Yell candidates, including their faces. Researchers found that even after extensive study of the candidates’ names and faces, the average study participant could only correctly pick out 2.32 Yell Leaders from a 10–person lineup. Additionally, less than 5% of students in the study could match even one candidate’s name to his face correctly.

SGA Election Commission members also cited the need to maintain sufficient voter turnout with the 5 for Yell button implementation. “The Yell Leader positions are not technically a part of SGA, and the current Yell Leaders could decide to hold independent elections whenever they want,” said an anonymous source within the election commission. “It’s in our best interest to protect turnout by making minor concessions that will please the current Yell Leaders.”

 

— GingerbRedass