11.99 percent. Last year, only about 3,000 of the University’s 25,815 students opened the University Board of Elections’ email and cast their vote for the Student Council President. While the referendums and down-ballot positions pulled the overall turnout to 22.5 percent of students, the message sent through the University community is evident — no one really seems to care about student elections all that much.
As February dawns, hundreds of campaign flyers will begin to flood Grounds, and a wealth of Instagram campaign profiles will dot your follow requests. Student elections season begins Feb. 17 to elect representatives for Honor, the University Judiciary Committee and Student Council, delivering excitement for change in the University’s student self-governed organizations. However, this excitement is rarely translated to students, the people who stand to benefit the most from thoughtful action by elected student representatives. The mandate to engage with these benefits is as simple as a couple of clicks on the UBE email — students should vote in this upcoming 2026 student election.
Your most recent interaction with student elections may have been the high school class president handing out candy and begging for votes. Certainly, in contrast to state, local or federal elections, student elections may appear frivolous. There is an unspoken awkwardness to clicking through the profiles of your classmates and peers and wondering about the depth of their policy platforms. However, set aside this pessimistic perspective to understand the influential gravity of these positions. These are not just students looking for a line-item on a resume, but rather, individuals who hold genuine power in the agentive system of student self-governance at the University.
Although the term “student self-governance” can sometimes seem intangible on Grounds, a squint at the systems which guide the University reveals student self-governance’s inherent strength, led by the candidates students elect each year. In 2023, students overturned the problematic and non-rehabilitative system of single sanction in Honor — effectively changing the relationship that students have to this body of self-governance. More recently, the Student Council significantly invested in resources for low-income students through the Cavalier Career Closet which offers all students professional attire. Whether or not you have a passionate stance on student self-governance as a value, you have likely been positively impacted by the resources and opportunities which these student-run organizations provide.
Entering this year of student elections, student candidates at the University are deeply interrogating the systems of governance and policymaking which guide this institution. A new University president and a new governor spell opportunities for new relationships and growth within these organizations, especially as the University community remains shaken by a chaotic year of silenced stakeholder perspectives. The Honor Committee, UJC and Student Council must carve out a path which emphasizes student self-governance as the foundation of shared governance by citizen leaders.
Take, for example, the student who won that 11.99 percent turnout election, Student Council President Clay Dickerson. The Editorial Board endorsed Dickerson last year as a candidate who would focus on institutional advocacy and protect student self-governance. Over his term, the Student Council fulfilled that promise with full-throated activism. The Council produced multiple public statements about institutional concerns amid the 10th presidential search, maintained a consistent presence at protests against federal overreach and committed to coalition-building amid various stakeholders. Not only did these actions result in a more inclusive environment of dialogue around events at the University, but they also resulted in more student activism. While some may disagree with the perspectives that the Student Council espoused, no one can deny the importance of such tenacious and dynamic leadership at the helm of a student self-governed institution.
This kind of leadership is what you have the power to vote for. The students on these flyers might be elected representatives for the Honor Committee, considering how to manage the guiding value of Honor amid the creation of the multi-sanction and restorative guidelines. They might be elected to serve as University Judiciary Committee members, processing growing cases of violations to University policy and threats to safety. Or, these students could represent you as Student Council representatives, bargaining with the current University administration for resources that reflect the needs of the student body. You have the ability to infuse your perspective into the electoral process by choosing to vote.
I am in the 22.5 percent minority of students who voted in student elections — I look forward to this season every year. Yet, I know I am not in the minority of students who care about the future of this University. Reflecting on a semester of seismic student activism, I know I am not in the minority of students who ask difficult questions about where this University is going and demand substantive answers from University leadership. Therefore, as a majority, we must recognize the importance of a student body that turns out to elect their peers and advocates for responsible student self-governance. As Feb. 24 approaches, the day voting opens, students should make every effort to inform themselves about candidates in order to strengthen student-governed advocacy in the coming year.
Scarlett Sullivan is the Executive Editor for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.
The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Cavalier Daily. Columns represent the views of the authors alone.
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