The 2008 Spring State Convention will be held from April 26-27 in Parsippany, NJ.

The MAS Spring State convention is all about elections! Here, JSA members run for elected positions, and campaign for the vote of their fellow JSAers. At the beginning of the convention, all the candidates for the six elected positions — MAS Governor, MAS Lieutenant Governor, NJR Mayor, NJR Vice Mayor, SAR Mayor, SAR Vice Mayor — are officially nominated before the entire convention by their peers. Later that day, at a special “Candidates’ Forum,”

JSA members have the opportunity to publically ask questions and hear why the candidates think they are best qualified for their desired positions. On the next day, elections for both regional and state races take place, and the entire JSA nation finds out who will be the MAS/NJR/SAR elected officials for the next year!

What makes the elections especially exciting is that candidates often form campaign teams that any JSAer can become a member of. In the ballroom where opening session, closing session, and elections take place, candidates can put up posters and banners, distribute fliers, chant slogans and songs with their supporters, and pass out pins and other election paraphernalia. Of course, there are certain campaigning rules that all candidates must abide by – for example, they cannot exceed the budget limit for their campaigns, and there is absolutely no campaigning during blocks.

For more information about Spring State, please contact Governor Bryan Matis (bmatis@jsa.org) or call the JSA office in Washington, D.C. at 1-800-317-9338.