Since opening its doors to students in 1819, the University has been cherished for many of its characteristics, from the architectural grandeur of the Rotunda to the University's acclaimed academic excellence to the great emphasis placed on student self-governance. This last aspect, however, has been viewed with a certain sense of skepticism and uncertainty by a large portion of the student body and has created a glitch in the system of student self-governance, according to some students.
"Student apathy [towards student elections] represents an enormous problem that is more societal than anything else," said Stewart Ackerly, a recently elected Honor Committee College representative. "It is a problem not only for the University Board of Elections but also for every organization that is involved in elections. Students must be made aware of how important these elections are to the future of the University and to their personal experience at the University."
UBE member Rob Schwartz said things seem to be heading in a different direction based on the results of the recent election in which the undergraduate voter turnout was at a record-high 53 percent, up from 45 percent in 2004 and 27.49 percent in 2003.
"This year is the highest turnout rates the elections have had in a long time," Schwartz said. "I think it is a very good sign that student government at U.Va. is succeeding."
Ackerly said he was satisfied with the voter turnout this year.
"I thought student participation in the elections was fantastic, especially among undergraduate students," he said. "While I wish every student voted, you have to look at this year's turnout in the context of turnout in past elections, which has usually hovered around 30 percent. When seen in that light, this year's turnout really was tremendous."
Politics Prof. Larry J. Sabato said the higher turnout could be related to the growth of a political sentiment nationwide.
"Students had their highest turnout in years," Sabato said. "That's a significant achievement. Perhaps, following the Bush-Kerry election where 60 percent of Americans voted -- the highest since 1968 -- people are finally accepting once again the centrality of politics in their lives."
UBE Chair Steve Yang attributed the higher voter turnout to procedural changes the UBE implemented this year, including the extension of the voting period.
"This year there was a lot of increased publicity by UBE, such as the use of targeted e-mails," Yang said. "I also believe that the extension of the voting period to include the weekend had an enormous impact."
This year's elections also proved to be the most competitive in recent years, Schwartz said. There were 147 students running for 55 positions with 79 seats.
"There were a lot of deeply contested elections this year which I believe had an impact on increasing voting, since a lot of the candidates campaigned and publicized immensely," Schwartz said.
One such competitor, former Student Council presidential candidate Curran Jhanjee, said running for president was a unique opportunity, especially because he had no prior experience with Council.
"To be honest, it was a new experience and an opportunity that landed on my lap, literally," Jhanjee said. "It seemed like something that I should not pass up, so I didn't."
Ackerly said Curran's candidacy, despite his inexperience with Council, showed the level of student commitment to student self-governance.
"Sometimes people want a breath of fresh air," Ackerly said. "Curranhad an uphill battle because he was running against well-qualified candidates, but I don't think experience should dictate who can and can't run."
Jhanjee added that prior to running for the position, he felt that students who were not as involved were discouraged from running.
"People seem to think that running for Student Council requires that you should be a politico or have lots of experience but they forget that it is just that -- a council for the students," Jhanjee said. "If someone is interested in running, there should be no reason why they shouldn't. I think that with the effort that it takes to run, it shows that anyone who does is willing to do the job."
According to Sabato, the most crucial element of the campaign effort by the candidates in student elections is establishing name recognition.
"In politics generally, endorsements have some value, though the value is limited," Sabato said. "Nothing replaces personal contact, friendship, one-to-one interaction, especially in a community of our size. Name ID is a big part of the game for those running for lower positions, since most people will vote for those names they recognize favorably. But for the top posts, reputation matters, and endorsements help to shape the reputation."
In addition to the roles of name identity and reputation, Sabato reflected on the party-style election process that used to be in place at the University.
"When I first arrived at U.Va., there were actual political parties: the conservative Jefferson Party and the liberal Virginia Progressive Party," he said. "The parties had large conventions and nominated their slates of candidates for all the various positions. Actually, as I remember it, I was elected to Student Council in 1971 on the last slate ever nominated by the VPP. The VPP won just about all positions. U.Va. was quite liberal at the time due to Nixon, the Vietnam War, and so forth. In 1972, the parties dissolved themselves. Why? It was the general anarchy of the time. We didn't trust even the establishment run by ourselves."
While Ackerly mentioned the necessity of campaign efforts to flyer and chalk around Grounds, he also said he is concerned with the monetary demands which are put on the students.
"In a few words, spending is out of hand," he said. "Without an expenditure limit, spending has steadily increased every year as candidates spend more and more on things like ads in the Cav Daily or on the facebook," he said. "I have to say that Lauren [Ross] and I each spent over $350, but I do wish the UBE would impose a spending limit to keep expenditures in check. Such a limit would level the playing field and give every candidate an equal chance."
On the other hand, Jhanjee said it is possible to run a successful campaign without worrying about whether too much or too little money was spent.
"Sure, promotion and advertising plays a big role, but you have also got to have something to sell," he said. "Finally, you're selling to students and, as a student, you've got to reach out to them by identifying with them. I don't think that you need to spend a lot or pretend to be something that you're not"
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