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Printer-Friendly ModeNumber of students not voting in on-campus elections shameful
submitted by James W. Gault III
April 14, 2008 —
The headline in this paper on March 31 read "Seeley wins SA presidency in convincing fashion." I wonder ... whom did it convince?
Yes, Angela Seeley had over half the votes cast, but she really only garnered an amazing 3.4 percent support of the students - 325 from 9,662 total students. Fully 94.2 percent of students didn't vote for Seeley or for either of her opponents. I'm not slamming them. They worked hard only to be ignored by 9,102 students! Also, the process looks foolish with only 20 candidates for 20 representative seats. At most, the representative vote was superfluous.
Shame on you! For 9,102 people to let a mere 560 decide for them is unconscionable! There's a myth that voting and political involvement among younger voters is rising. The message has bypassed SVSU. The University is for more than providing academic knowledge. It should enable students to be fully informed and active participants in a democratic society. I and the 559 others who voted are insulted by all of you who didn't vote. You have failed the most basic test of democracy.
To the non-voters: How many of you will ask the Student Association for money next year? How many of you will have a concern to address to them? And even though they aren't elected, will you ask the Program Board for money too? Will you voice your complaint to the Vanguard? You also pay for them.
I'll try to be sympathetic to non-voters for a moment. Perhaps they see the SA as irrelevant. Perhaps they saw their vote as pointless. Maybe there's a serious flaw in the very structure of student government and the voting process at SVSU. If so, it should be studied and fixed.
The Vanguard's editors suggested previously to consider a merit appointment process for SA executive. It's not a radical idea. A city council appoints city managers and university boards appoint presidents. Maybe many would-be candidates don't bother running because they see the election as all locked-up by candidates with a loyal network of friends. An appointment process might encourage a more diverse range of candidates to apply.
It's time to have a comprehensive review of student governing bodies and student funded institutions here at SVSU. We need a "constitutional convention" representing a diverse range of students to study our current structures, compare what other schools do for ideas, take ideas from students and then propose amendments or a totally new student association charter to the students to vote upon. SA won't propose this on its own. Their credibility for providing leadership is limited when they only have 5.8 percent of the student vote.
James W. Gault III
English sophomore