With the school elections approaching, a few students are preparing to compete for an office on the student council. The bare walls across the school reflect how little people know or care about this fact. Even the website is lacking information, with dates from 2010. The elections will be held on Thursday.
For the school elections at Madison High School, most of the voters do not even hear the speeches given by the candidates. They are posted on a bulletin board, but are never actually rehearsed or presented like the class election speeches. So essentially, elections come down to two things: becoming well liked through campaigning and getting students down to the polls.
The campaigning can be a challenge because no longer can candidates bribe their peers with candies and prizes. Although my sweet tooth is against this decree, my brain knows that it makes the election fairer. A couple of years ago, the administration had problems with students competing with each other for the biggest bribes. Therefore, students must rely on posters and verbal promises of a better school environment.
None of this campaigning matters though if supporters do not go to the polls, which is something that not many people do. “I’ve never voted for an election if it isn’t mandatory,” junior Quinn Hurley stated, “I have a lot to do during lunch so I always forget.” This isn’t an uncommon phenomenon. Since students must voluntarily vote during their free time, many do not have the time or motivation to do so.
In a perfect world, all students would vote because they want a say in who organizes school events based on what the candidates say they will do. The candidates’ policies and the elections fly under the radar. Making students vote for a candidate quickly before the start of a class may be a solution to this problem. At the very least, students should be able to hear the speeches at some point during the day. This will raise awareness about the election and allow students to make a more informed decision.
This year’s elections will be interesting since three of the four current officers are seniors who are graduating. The fight for their spots will involve a lot of work by the candidates. Students’ votes will be greatly appreciated so during lunch all students should try to make their vote count this Thursday.