As the May 4-8 student government elections loom closer, it is disturbing to note how little momentum has been generated thus far.
Student elections have been plagued for years by low voter turnout—usually less than 2,000 of almost 27,000 students vote—and this year could be one of the worst ever. Some of the blame falls on the candidates.
There has been almost no campaigning this year by any major candidate running, and many students remain unaware that the election is two weeks away. Too often, these candidates are busy lobbying in Salem instead of hitting the pavement in the South Park Blocks hustling for votes.
While advocacy is important, what these candidates fail to realize is that to continue their work, they must be elected. That requires their presence on campus, not in the Capitol. Ultimately, it is their responsibility to inform the student body about the elections and their candidacies.
Compared to previous years, this year’s crop of student government hopefuls have been more than disappointing in their efforts to get out the vote.
However, it isn’t just the candidates who have come up short this year. The election process has been marred by last-minute changes to debate times and locations, poor debate attendance and general miscommunication between candidates, the ASPSU Elections Board and the media.
The Elections Board has too often relied on this publication to advertise the debates, but in many instances they have failed to provide proper locations, times and dates or communicate effectively with candidates. This has resulted in candidates who have shown up to their own debate late because they weren’t provided with the proper information.
The current student government administration has done a poor job of providing the inexperienced board with institutional support. Federal Affairs Director Collin LaVallee was advising the board, but once he became a candidate for president a vacuum was created and the board was left to fend for itself. Vice President Kyle Cady stepped in, but this occurred only after numerous problems started to plague the process.
This poorly run election season will hurt whomever takes over next year if, like many fear, less than 1,000 students vote. Politicians need a mandate to govern effectively. Instead, the process has become a joke and threatens to hamstring the incoming administration.
It isn’t too late to save the election. Candidates must invade the Park Blocks and force themselves into the public consciousness. They must give students a reason, any reason, to log onto banweb.pdx.edu and vote.
They must show that they care about winning and that they want the job. Jonathan Sanford, Collin LaVallee, Sean Staub, Johnnie Ozimkowski and Jil Heimensen, you’ve got 10 days left.
Get started.