The Spartacus
Are Ballots cast with Bias?Thursday, May 31, 2012 By Lucia Arriola
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} Normal 0 false false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Have you ever thought about running for student government? If you haven’t, why not? Many people run as a joke because they know they can win or because it looks good on a college application. Why don’t the people that can actually win run for student government? Possibly because they think they will not win. This leads to the question, how do students at Miami Country Day School vote? Ms. Kelly, head of the student government, stated that some of the votes are based on whether or not a candidate is a friend and others are more genuine. There is no denying that many people vote for their friends, but some people question whether there is such a thing as a genuine vote within high school elections. Interestingly, many people proved time and time again that the genuine vote does not exist. Graduating senior, Tiffany Kontoyannis even stated, “People only vote for whoever has the funniest speech or platform.” Although humor is great when it comes to hanging out with friends, it is not a quality necessary for student government. The same charismatic people run year after year, yet their funny personalities that appear so promising do not translate to their leadership roles. On the other side, Ms. Kelly is a strong believer that people vote for they think is the best candidate. Whereas some people think that the truly qualified leaders don’t run because “it’s a popualirty contest”, Ms. Kelly believes that many students aren’t interested because they have other things going and don’t have time for the school government. In reality, it’s probably a mixture of both these ideas. So how do we change this issue? Ms. Kelly shared a few ideas. First, she would like to have each candidate write an essay about why they want to run and what they plan to do before the election process. This would be different than the platform system that is currently employed because it would be more detailed and nonserious candidates wouldn’t waste their time writing a paragraph if they didn’t care. As a prerequisite, Ms. Kelly also wants the candidates to attend a specific number of school events to demonstrate their involvement, this way, the qualified students have a better chance in the ballots. Although Ms. Kelly realizes these potential changes probably wouldn’t change the problems with the elections in their entirety, she hopes it will improve the election process at least a little. Baby steps. Perhaps the best explanation for why students get elected year after year is stated by Jenna Lilly. Jenna says that a major aspect in her deciding who to vote for is past leadership. The problem with Jenna’s statement, which is extremely logical, is that the same people who have past leadership are the ones who aren’t doing anything. So while it may seem smart to vote for the people with experience, it actually isn’t. While experience is a valuable commodity, characteristics like organization, courage, and creativity are equally or even more important. If Jenna’s statement hold true, students who win elections know they will be re-elected and don’t have an incentive to make changes. So now, you have to think about who you voted for and whether that person has the determination to make a difference or was just another “do nothing” candidate. |