For a while we thought the platforms -- er, "pedestals" -- Bryce Underwood and Brad Smith were running on would be the most ridiculous thing about this year's Undergraduate Student Government elections.
We giggled at the candidates' light-hearted plan to replace FLASH buses with teleportation devices, which provided a welcome contrast to last year's bitterly contested election.
In 2005, the candidates running for USG's top jobs handed out almost as many election complaints as fliers. The election itself was delayed for a week. And after the run-off, both the winning and losing tickets filed a whole new set of complaints against each other.
We thought this year would be different. Ross Meyer was preparing to take office as USG president, and challenger Richard Sales had conceded his electoral defeat. Or so we thought.
We learned this weekend that Sales filed a complaint against Meyer for failing to turn in a required campaign-expense report.
Sales, who billed himself as the candidate with a backbone, apparently had a strong enough spine to call Meyer out on a violation that he also committed.
Now, we know following and enforcing rules is important, but this complaint and all the controversy it has stirred up among our student leaders strike us as incredibly petty.
Unfortunately, our elections system often caters to those who are more skilled at cutting down their opponents than at leading in their own right. Consequently, all candidates have to keep an eye on who's accusing them of what.
But now, three weeks after the run-off election, it's time to be looking forward to next year, not bickering about the past.
What we really need throughout our student government is effective leaders -- and you don't need the title of USG president to be one. True leaders don't need lofty titles to help create change for their communities.
Depending on how the Associated Students of ASU Supreme Court and the USG elections director rule in the coming days, Meyer and Sales -- along with their running mates -- may have the chance to prove that.
If both tickets are disqualified, we hope they find other ways to advocate for student issues.
Take a non-elected position in USG. Become a regular attendee at Tempe City Council meetings and speak out on students' behalf. Lobby the state Legislature for more higher education funding. And whatever you do, find ways to encourage your fellow students to join you.
Whatever happens, we hope our student leaders will finish all of their infighting soon and leave the bickering behind so they can prepare to represent our interests next year.
