Illinois State University’s Student Government Association (SGA) held its first meeting of October and appointed Matt Saner to the position of secretary of elections.
Saner is a sophomore majoring in cybersecurity and the vice president of Turning Point USA (TPUSA).
“I run the TPUSA chapter at ISU, which is a nonpartisan organization that promotes American values … through my organization, I was able to impact a lot of people’s voting habits,” Saner said.
“I also am always out tabling throughout the week … I know voter student outreach is a big thing for SGA, so I am always ready to go out and talk to students [and] talk to the voters about pretty much any issue,” Saner continued.
While TPUSA is a nonpartisan organization, it is intimately tied to conservative activism, especially among young adults.
Saner’s affiliation with the organization prompted some questions during the debate session. Off-Campus Senator Matthew Rickey opened the debate with a reminder of SGA’s values.
“As in the bylaws of last year, we are a nonpartisan association … so we only deal with issues relating to students,” Rickey said.
Rickey supported Saner’s appointment.
“We met with Matt during internal affairs,” Rickey said. “He spoke very professionally, detailed all of his experiences in organizations and in leadership committees, and as the previous secretary of elections, I do believe he has the skills needed for this particular position.”
Student Life Senator Braden Beasley also advocated for Saner.
“He’s never once, despite obviously being a part of Turning Point, shown me that he would allow that to impact his running [of] the election … he’s very by the book,” Beasley said.
“I’ve seen him go from somebody who had no experience to where he is now, and I can confidently say that he would be an incredible pick for the position,” Beasley continued.
However, some questioned his appointment due to his political associations.
Tri-Towers Senator Hassan Hillard was one such student, “Since he’s the vice president of Turning Point, doesn’t that make it an ultimate conflict of interest, no matter what?”
Speaker of the Assembly Emma Susami addressed the question.
“Members of our student body are members of Turning Point, so just because he is so closely tied to a specific political organization does not mean that he’s going to bring that here,” Susami said.
Student Body President Noah Montoya was in favor of Saner’s appointment.
“I have already conversed with him several times,” Montoya said. “Every conversation has built up to me believing he’s the right pick for the secretary of elections.”
Dean of Students and SGA Advisor Andy Morgan discussed his responsibility in ensuring that the secretary of elections stays within the guidelines.
“I meet with the secretary of elections probably every other week, all the way until March, and so I make sure that the secretary of elections [is] following the election code that [SGA] approves,” Morgan said.
“So, there are some guardrails there … if I have any concerns, I will bring it up to the executive board,” Morgan continued.
Saner was ultimately elected. 12 voted yes, five voted no and 10 abstained. Abstention did not count toward the final tally, so Saner was appointed.
SGA also passed its first two bills of the year unanimously.
They allocated $1000 for the School Street Food Pantry to support the purchase of reusable bags, and $250 to Students Ending Rape Culture, which allows them to purchase roughly 555 drink testing strips and 50 reusable cup covers.
The next SGA meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, in the Student Services Building, Room 130.
