As the summer nears, so does the Student Government election season. High schoolers from all across grade levels congregate and vote for the next year’s leaders of Student Government. There are committee heads, board members, and Cabinet member positions up for grab. However, Parker’s 2021 Student Government election season is going to be different from years before due to the new hybrid schedule. Candidates will have to find different ways to market themselves to the student body and current cabinet members need to find a way to have high voter turnout. The upcoming election will be a new experience for everyone, and it will be another unprecedented event in 2021.

“What is most unprecedented about this election is that it is truly hybrid,” Student Government President and senior Carter Wagner said. “Last year it was a challenge for the Student Government and candidates to pivot to something completely virtual. Now our challenge is bringing things back in the building, and I am confident that will result in a fantastic election.” Last year, the election season was completely online. Candidates couldn’t hang posters on bathroom stalls or hold speeches for an in-person audience. However, with Parker high schoolers being back in the building, some of those features will be returning. “From posters throughout the hallways, debates during lunch, and possible Democrafest, students will have ample time to publish themselves,” Wagner said. “We will also be integrating what we learned last year, encouraging campaign Instagrams and other strategies for virtual campaigning.” 

While there are many problems with the upcoming election, one foreseeable problem with being hybrid is having candidates market themselves. “We have a lot of new people that have not had a chance to get to know people because we have had distance learning for a majority of the year,” former Student Government faculty advisor Susan Elliott said. “If you are new to Parker, you are not going to have a lot of name recognition and it is difficult to campaign. Double that difficulty if you are currently online. I think the students online might feel especially disconnected by this process.” That said, the 2021 candidates will have to navigate through the new hybrid system and have new and unique strategies to compete with other candidates. With the new schedule, candidates have to find the perfect mix of in-person and virtual marketing. “I definitely plan on using Instagram as a big conduit to get my message out to the student body this year,” sophomore and DCA candidate Jack Kahan said. “It’s obviously going to be harder to pull off a normal election this year.” Last year’s elections produced many new Instagram accounts. Since the building was empty, most candidates ran an Instagram account to hype themselves and their plans. “I’m glad that we’re returning to the building full-time, so that we can put up campaign posters, which I also anticipate will be a big thing this year,” Kahan said. 

Like many other candidates, this is Kahan’s first year running for a solo position in the Cabinet. “This is my first year running for a solo elected position, and I don’t want to say I’m flying completely blind, but I’m learning as I go,” Kahan said. “ I don’t assume we’ll ever have an election like this again, but I’m using it as a vital learning experience for next year, and even afterward if I ever have to run for something again out of high school. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous, but I’m excited to hear people’s platforms and goals and see how the election will pan out.”

Zoom will play a big part in this upcoming election, as it did last year. Like most of the school year, all Student Government meetings were held over Zoom. This election will be no different, even if students are back at Parker. “Every debate, speech, and student government event will be conducted, either partially or fully, through Zoom,” Wagner said. “It also helps that conducting our procedures over Zoom is going to result in the best election possible.” Wagner talked about the priority in the upcoming election of getting everyone included, whether in-person or virtual. Inclusion and wifi became an apparent problem during the hybrid weeks, however, Wagner is optimistic that the Student Government elections will be able to hurdle those obstacles. 

Even though speeches and debates will be virtual, Wagner is confident that Parker will have a high voter turnout. “Our government has had very few issues with voter turnout in the past or even this past year,” Wagner said. “Parker students are engaged and eager to participate in our democracy. With that said, voter turnout will remain high as a result of our fantastic events that truly bring together our community. Our voting process has become easier as well. Virtual voting will still be used which allows for a quick and effective democratic process.”

The high school is split up in this new hybrid schedule. Some students have decided to stay home and take online classes, while others are back in Parker. While this is a safety precaution, it brings up some problems with the 2021 election. “The biggest problem I see for this election will be the split people online and in-person,” Student Government faculty advisor Jeanne Barr said. “Last year was just fine, with everyone online. However, this year has already been challenging with using the platform Zoom, Barr said.” “We also can’t do treasured Parker traditions such as passing of the gavel or democrofast. But we are optimistic that we can have a great election. The Cabinet is very excited, super smart, and I am confident in them.”

With the 2021 election being the second online election in a row, this could lead to some changes in future elections. “Students will want to come together for Senate meetings, and full plenaries because it has been so long since we have been able to have that sense of community,” Elliott said. “Parker elections are a wonderful time of year when students think creatively about how they can serve their school and they formulate platforms that are hopeful and optimistic. That optimism is particularly valued this year after what we have been through and I hope that continues into the future.” These past two elections have also shown the adaptability of theStudent Body. “I think we have discovered as a school how capable we are,” Barr said. “We can do so much, even online and asynchronous. Things won’t be the same, however I think that we can somehow integrate Zoom into our normal classes. You can’t put toothpaste back into the tube.”

With the 2021 Parker Student Government election coming soon, candidates and current Cabinet members plan and prepare. Candidates marketing themselves with Instagram accounts and catchy slogans. Cabinet members working hard to engage high schoolers in upcoming debates and speeches. All of this will culminate in what Wagner believes to be “the best election possible.”