Seniors will be able to vote for student body officers and House of Representatives members in the upcoming Student Government Association elections, according to a bill passed by the House of Student Representatives.

House members passed the bill unanimously during Tuesday night’s SGA meeting. Treasurer Zach Madel and College of Education Representative Steffen Francisco introduced the legislation. 

The idea for the bill came from seniors not being able to vote in this year’s election, Francisco said. 

The Election Code and Handbook currently doesn’t specify who is allowed to vote, he said. 

Emily Rodenbach, the Elections and Regulations Committee chair, said the voting eligibility of seniors has gone back and forth in previous years. 

Francisco said one of the main arguments against seniors being able to vote is that because of their graduation, the seniors won’t directly be affected by the outcome of the election. 

According to the bill, “voting in spring elections will allow seniors to leave a legacy of leadership at TCU that will guide the campus after their graduation.” 

“You pay the student body fee for four years, you should be able to vote four times,” Madel said. 

Any undergraduate student who is enrolled full-time at TCU on election day will be able to vote now, according to the legislation. The Election Code and Handbook will be updated to include the change. 

Also during the meeting, representatives discussed a bill to provide section stickers on the columns at Market Square. The stickers would help students be able to find other students in the dining area at Market Square, especially during busy hours, said the bill’s author, Neeley School of Business Representative Yun Lim.

Lim prevented the bill from being voted on in order to improve the legislation and re-introduce it during next week’s meeting.