By Jake Doerksen
Staters Union
Monday morning, over 250 Staters met in Goodnow Hall as representatives of the Federalist Party.
In the Boys State simulation the Federalist Party represents the Conservative party. Over a span of two hours, multiple candidates battled it out for the following positions; Attorney General, State Treasurer, Secretary of State and the Commissioner of Insurance.
The candidates spoke to Staters in a rotation through each floor of Goodnow Hall. This is known as the Whistle Stop Tour. The Whistle Stop Tour has been a part of the Boys State process since the beginning. The purpose of this event is to select the Federalist and the Nationalist nominees for Tuesday’s statewide election.
There was an average of three to five Staters running against each other for each position. They would give short, two minute speeches on each floor in order to win votes.
Candidates spoke about themselves, their qualifications and their political stances. As this was the Federalist Party’s primary, most of the candidates held fairly conservative stances. A commonly asked question for the candidates was concerning their plans for the state budget. There were several questions regarding the funding of education and alternative energy. Candidates were required to answer the questions on the spot without prior warning. After all the candidates running for all of the positions had given their speeches, the Staters filled out an online voting forum.
Nationalist Party
By Brandon Hurn
Staters Union
Hopeful delegates from the nationalist party traveled through Marlatt Hall on Monday morning, campaigning for several state offices.
The Nationalist party represents Staters with more liberal views of government.
Governor, Attorney General, Treasurer, Secretary of State, and Commissioner of Insurance candidates gave speeches outlining their platforms and qualifications for the preliminary elections. The speeches were of varying length based on position.
Key issues discussed included the education system, taxation and energy sources.
Once the prepared speeches had concluded, some candidates opened the floor for questions from the Staters. These questions were not planned ahead, and the candidates were expected to respond to the best of their abilities.
Following the Whistle Stop, elections were held over the Boys State website. In spite of some technical difficulties, the results were announced later in the day at a State Assembly.]]>
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