Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Representative governments, however humble their constituencies, thrive on reciprocity. For a system to function smoothly, both representative and represented must participate in the policy-making process. One side’s refusal or reluctance to engage the other can deaden the process and stem the tide of progress. Such a case was lately evident on our campus.
Student Senate was recently forced to pass a bus fee increase after a campus-wide vote failed to draw a quorum of student voters. Special elections, or even the general elections of Senate members, have never been famous for their overwhelming turnout. But this latest debate, from which the student voice was largely absent, is a troubling development in our campus governance.
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If we tune out the machinations of politics at an accessible local level, what becomes of our engagement on a national level after graduation?
As advocated in this space yesterday, it is incumbent upon students to cast their vote on issues that directly affect their tuition bills and campus lifestyles.
However, the Senate also has a responsibility to adequately publicize these elections, and to take steps to ensure that a student voice is indeed heard. Though the election was by no means a secret or surprise, it was not uncommon to see more promotion for that day’s drink specials than proclamations of that day’s vote.
Endless elections, held again and again until a sufficient student turnout is achieved, is an unappealing prospect. But we suggest that in the future, the Senate give these important referendums one more chance before the student voters.
Repeat elections are no doubt difficult and daunting in terms of both cost and effort, but such is the price of engaging the distracted student voter. For a representative government to fructify, extra steps are sometimes necessary.
A common complaint about young voters is that our apathetic disinterest in politics and policy renders efforts to connect with us either worthless or wasteful. We are all eager to dispel such notions, but wholly inadequate turnout at the most simple of elections, especially given the range and ease of voting methods, speaks poorly of our true commitment to changing this stereotype.
If we tune out the machinations of politics at an accessible local level, what becomes of our engagement on a national level after graduation?
We are not here to issue a collective apologia for the poor turnout of students, nor to excoriate Senate for taking action in lieu of a student voice. But the Senate should examine options for staging “mulligan elections” when their noble efforts and lackluster promotions fail to attract the already detached student voter.
— McKay Stangler for the editorial board
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