The primary representative body of the student population at the University has the potential to be extremely unrepresentative. Whether or not the current administration of Student Council is effective or understanding of the student population’s wishes, the system itself has some serious flaws. Most notably, the process for electing and appointing students to positions of power has the potential to exclude a large portion of the student population. When the majority of Student Council elections are uncontested — or fail to produce a candidate in the first place — the democratic nature of the organization is at serious risk. As the new administration begins its year of serving the University community, it’s important to look back at the election process that promotes these students to positions representing the entire student body. Some changes can be made to increase the value of Student Council, including a more broad-based recruitment process and education initiative.
The 49 percent undergraduate participation rate from the College in this year’s University elections is admirable, at least compared to recent years, but this column doesn’t deal with low voter turnout; rather, the greatest flaw in the representativeness of the system arises from low candidate turnout. Of the 54 total races handled by the University Board of Elections this year, 34 races were uncontested. Neither the election for the College or Engineering Student Council representatives produced enough candidates to fill the number of seats available, meaning that all of the candidates for both positions were uncontested. Had any other candidate taken the time to file for election with the University Board of Elections, they would have essentially received a free ticket into these prestigious representative positions, whether or not they were qualified to do so. If there is no opportunity for students to choose their representatives in an election, I fail to see how the election can be called democratic in the first place. Unquestionably, more choices are better than fewer when selecting those to make decisions on Council.
At first one might assume that this void of candidates could result from an overcomplicated or biased system in selecting candidates. Alisa Abbott, Chair of the University Board of Elections, maintains that UBE is “entirely transparent and democratic and all of [its] processes, rules, and procedures are made available to candidates.” While there is a process candidates must undertake to appear on the ballot, it is unlikely to deter those seriously interested from seeking office.
Abbott commented that “it is the duty of the organization . . . to ensure that they will have a group of students to continue to lead the following year,” and this certainly seems to be the root of the problem. By relying on organizations to spread the word on the intricacies of running for elections, the organization may lean toward in-breeding candidates to run for office. In many ways, the system discourages the broader student population, with no experience in Student Council or other UBE-monitored organizations, from filing candidacy. This tendency for students currently involved to renew participation has advantages: leaders have a clear idea of how the system works through experience and are acquainted with operations. But more significantly, the broader student population can feel excluded from the election process if the students in positions of power seem somehow predestined to be currently involved.
Council’s potential to misrepresent the student population arises because those already involved with the organization are also those familiar with it. While the higher positions are elected, the vast majority of students involved in Council are appointed to their positions, including the committees, the primary functioning bodies of the organization in terms of day-to-day operations, and half of the executive board, including the Chief of Cabinet and Director of University Relations. These appointments aren’t necessarily a bad thing, but Council must make a deliberate effort to seek out qualified individuals from a diverse University pool. Council should advertise open council meetings or an educational event, similar to Honor’s Awareness Week. To those who would argue that giving students incentive for involvement is unnecessary, I revert to Jefferson’s still-applicable warning: democracy will only function with education of the masses.
Council should begin now to make its decision-making processes and actions more apparent to students, especially those in the upcoming class of 2013. At least through my perspective on the University, it seems that a vast majority of students don’t understand how Council works on the most basic level. The Cavalier Daily could also do a better job outlining the various functions of Council, outside of the weekly coverage on actions of the executive board. Students may be more empowered to run for office if they understand how the system works. Without an awareness of the association, which a broad majority of the student population seems to lack, not only will voter turnout in elections remain low, but positions will continue to be unfilled, perpetuating the already undemocratic pattern.
Anthony Nobles’ column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at a.nobles@cavalierdaily.com.
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