Following up yet again on my musings from last week on extracurricular elections -- Monday night I went to the elections for a law journal I'm on. They elected 9 people for 7 positions -- Editor-in-Chief, 2 Executive Editors, 2 Managing Editors, a Submissions Editor, Technical Editor, Communciations Editor, and Speakers Editor. All but two of the positions were contested, so it was quite a process of people making speeches, then answering questions, then leaving the room while people talked smack about them, then we voted, then did a runoff of the top two candidates, and then announced the winner. Repeat. Three and a half hours.

A few things I learned you probably shouldn't do when making an election speech:

1. Don't pick your nose.
2. Don't stick your hands in your pockets, look at the floor, and pace back and forth while talking
3. Don't say "I don't care which position I get, I just want to be on the Masthead."
4. Don't use the fact that you're up at the front of the room as an opportunity to play with the window shades, dim the lights, or take another piece of cake. And if you do take another piece of cake, don't try to hide the fact that you're eating it while your opponent is speaking.
5. Don't answer questions with, "that's a not a very good question."
6. Don't joke about the war.
7. Don't read off notes you wrote on your hand.
8. Don't forget the name of the journal you're running for the position for.
9. Don't stand with your face pressed against the window of the closed door when you're supposed to be out in the hall not hearing what everyone says about you.
And, finally...
10. Don't forget to ask for a recount. (groan)