Voting On Campus

Voting in campus elections is a right that all students should exercise with pride. It is the student body that has the power to put a representative voice in office and therefore should make that voice heard by voting. The Student Government Association has more power than the student body typically thinks. Substantial change can be made with these elected officials. However, typical student voter turnout is very minimal. There are a lot of reasons why students fail to vote in elections. By and large the student body is guilty of apathy in regards to elections which is not a satisfactory excuse for failing to vote. The other major reason is the prevalent mindset of “It is only one vote, it will not make a difference.” These reasons are not good enough. As an American citizen it is your civic duty to vote, as a university student that civic duty is still applicable. University of Alabama students should utilize their right to vote and be heard.

At the University of Alabama the common theme of all elections is that the fraternities and sororities control all of the SGA offices. The fraternities and sororities have a perceived political machine. This perception is solely based on the fact that their respective members are encouraged and for the most part exercise their right to vote. This allows for a political machine to be formed. These entities are able to marshal their members to vote their candidates and thus their views into office. Due to the apathy of the student body in regard to SGA elections, these numerically inferior organizations are able to put their candidates in office. Essentially, a handful of people are able to control the outcome of elections by ensuring voter turnout of their organization. Consequently, many students don’t vote in SGA elections because of the way the elections are perceived to be controlled. The majority of independent voters believe there is no point in voting due to the fact they will always be outnumbered by the perceived political machine. Another reason why students generally do not participate in elections is a lack of interest and knowledge regarding the issues relevant to the election. My roommate, a senior here at Alabama, will not cast a vote simply due to the fact that he feels he cannot compete against the political machine. This may be true, but only because of people like my roommate, who allow it to happen due to the fact he will not cast a vote. Students have power, power to make their voice heard. Voting is not a waste of time and effort. It is making your voice known in the purest form.

All of these things may be true for now, but only because everyone buys into this system of political machine dominance. Nearly 27% of the undergraduate student population at the Capstone is in the 31 fraternity and 22 sorority chapters. The other 73% of students on campus have no Greek affiliation at all. This shifts the playing field to the advantage of the independents. If every student exercised their right to vote, the only political machine in place would be the voice of each and every student. This should make independent students feel empowered to vote in each election. Year in and year out, SGA has had some fine representatives, however, students should not be so casual about the candidates they want to put in office. The student’s voice is louder than the average person might think. Every student can be heard by participating in the elections. People also feel that voting is too much trouble and they don’t have enough time, or maybe they are just too lazy to go vote. This is a common misconception because voting is an easy process at the Capstone. Voting consists of accessing your MyBama account, clicking a link and checking a box by your favorite candidate’s name. This should offset the excuse of being too busy or too lazy that many students use since students access that account daily. We shouldn’t feel like our voice doesn’t count, and we shouldn’t feel intimidated about the process of voting in any election. Democracy is not democracy without the people being heard clearly. Many students also feel like there is no point in voting because everything will be the same whether their vote is counted or not. This is not true by any means since the SGA obviously represents the student body as a whole. If students want anything from the University to change, the place to start is through the SGA. The SGA has a great influence on the many projects and events on campus. The best way to influence change is to vote for the candidate you feel is most qualified to represent your views and to never assume a certain candidate is going to win.

Not only is voting in campus elections the right thing to do, it is the most logical way of seeing positive changes on campus. It is time to put an end to the excuses and see each student participate in every election. If a student does not exert the power to vote, then what is the point of having this privilege? The right to vote is a powerful privilege and is very crucial even if it seems that one vote cannot make a difference. Students will be better students and this campus will be a better place if everyone would vote.