Dear AGSA Members,

This petition serves as an open call to the AGSA Electoral Committee to consider a modification of the current electoral process in order to promote fairness and ensure equal participation among all countries represented in our association.

Please find the details of the petition below:

Dear Esteemed Members of the AGSA Electoral Committee,

On behalf of concerned members of the African Graduate Student Association (AGSA), I would like to first commend the committee for the tremendous effort invested in organizing the upcoming election and ensuring a transparent and hitch-free electoral process. Your dedication and commitment to upholding the values of fairness and inclusivity in AGSA are truly appreciated.

However, we would like to bring to your attention a critical concern that, if left unaddressed, may continue to undermine equal participation and representation within our community. As currently structured, the electoral process tends to disproportionately favor countries with larger student populations — notably Nigeria and Ghana — due to their numerical strength. While we recognize and respect the contributions of these countries to AGSA, this reality often skews election outcomes and inadvertently sidelines smaller national groups.

In the spirit of promoting equity, diversity, and balanced participation — values that AGSA holds dear — we would like to propose the adoption of a revised voting structure similar to the one currently implemented by the International Student Association (ISA) at LSU. This model ensures that every country or accredited national group has a voice while also accounting for larger populations in a moderated and fair manner.

Outlined below is the proposed voting policy for consideration:

1. Each Country or Accredited National Group shall have one vote.
2. Each Country or Accredited National Group with a membership greater than 100 may exercise one additional vote for each additional 100 (or part, not less than 50) members, up to a maximum of four votes.
3. The vote(s) for a Country or Accredited National Group shall be determined by a simple majority of individual votes cast by members of that Country or Group.
4. The total votes allocated to a Country or Accredited National Group shall be assigned based on the outcome of the majority vote among its members.
5. In the event of a tie within a Country or Accredited National Group, the votes shall be proportionally distributed among the tied candidates based on individual votes.
6. In the case of a tie in total country votes across candidates, a run-off election shall be conducted.
7. The definition of a Country shall align with membership in the United Nations.
8. An Accredited National Group shall be as recognized in the "List of Country Codes" issued by the United States Department of State, consistent with LSU’s classification of international students.

Source: http://isa.lsu.edu/assets/ISA-Constitution.pdf

We strongly believe that adopting this model will foster a greater sense of belonging, encourage participation from all national groups, and strengthen AGSA’s mission of unity in diversity.

We look forward to your consideration of this proposal and are open to engaging further to discuss its implementation or refinement.

Thank you once again for your service to AGSA and for considering this proposal aimed at enhancing our electoral integrity and inclusivity.