Boston University students will be able to vote in the online Student Union Executive Board elections that will take place on Wednesday through Friday on the official election website. By participating in the election, students can show that they do care about their school community and feel strongly about issues of concern.
In recent years, the student voter turnout has been dismal. In 1999, when the online voting system was introduced, 2,964 students participated in the Union election process, a nearly 44 percent increase from the previous year. Last year, the number of student voters plummeted to 2,422, which is less than 16 percent of the student population and down 542 voters in 1999.
The Student Union represents one of the only chances for students to voice their concerns to the administration. The Union has much potential for change, but without substantial student support the Union cannot maintain that it represents BU students or can accurately speak for their concerns. Students will then be able to hold the Union accountable to their campaign promises.
Even though the current Union received 39 percent of the total votes, those voters represented only 6 percent of the student population. It diminishes the Union’s creditability among University administrators. How can the Union be expected to have any success in advocating for issues such as an inclusive non-discrimination clause and the addition of a rape crisis center when only a fraction of students care enough to cast their online vote?
In addition, in the past two years, the winning slates have enlisted their friends and other acquaintances in the voting process. While these slates succeeded in increasing the overall number of voters with this tactic, the Union election should be based on ideas, rather than individuals. Each slate should encourage all students to vote because they believe in the core ideas and central missions of their platforms, not because they have a personal connection with the candidates. Otherwise the election turns into a superficial personality or popularity contest, the kind of election that you may remember from middle school.
The slates themselves are not entirely to blame for this situation — student apathy contributes greatly to the poor quality of the elections. While some may argue that students do not vote because of a lack of publicity about the individual slates and about the election process, this excuse has little validity. Not only has The Daily Free Press provided extensive coverage of the debates and platforms, but also the slates themselves have advertised the elections and their positions in residence halls throughout the campus.
Furthermore, the online system is designed to facilitate the voting process — it allows students to be able to vote from any computer. In just a few short minutes, students can select their choice for the Student Union elections without even leaving their dorm rooms. If students do choose not to exercise their right to vote, it is not because they do not know about the elections or because they lack access to a convenient voting method — they make that choice out of sheer apathy.
For those concerned students who do plan on voting, check out the supplement in tomorrow’s issue that describes the slates’ platforms and be sure to log on at http://www.bu.edu/election to vote for their chosen slates. We have to support our Student Union or risk abandoning our most effective vehicle for change.
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