Election season in Parker’s student government starts in March. Students write platforms outlining goals for their potential candidacy. During the 2022-2023 elections, these platforms were combined into a document that was almost 150 pages. As any student could tell you, nearly no students read every platform, and very few read the platforms at all. This year, Student Government imposed a word limit to these platforms, a great step in the right direction, but not a full solution to the widespread disengagement and uninformed nature of the election. The platform document remains a convoluted mess that very few students read.
Due to the appearingly minimal readership of platforms, students remain ignorant of the intent of their candidates. When voting comes around, we see students vote based on the names they recognize, not based on the merits of the candidate’s goals and ideas.
For the few larger roles in student government, like treasurer and president, many people read the candidate’s platforms. Students also have the chance to hear the candidates deliver speeches and debate against each other in mandatory Plenary sessions. This leads to competitive campaigning and informed voting. For these positions, Students generally vote based on who they believe will enhance Student Government the most. Who knows if they are exercising good values and judgment with their votes, but they are informed nonetheless. This method of voting for larger positions also ensures that students running less serious campaigns don’t win. Everyone should have the right to campaign, but it is important that voters know which candidates are dedicated and prepared. It’s the various smaller positions and committees that need the most work.
In last year’s elections, many committee groups were elected in which all members were part of a single grade or a single friend group. Over the course of the year, they did very little, and just barely received grades of “satisfactory.” These groups were elected because people voted for who they knew, not who was best for the job. If more committees had the time to give speeches and debate publicly in Plenary, more students would vote thoughtfully. Perhaps a cause of this problem is also the falling Senate attendance numbers since the coronavirus, causing the important Senate debates to hold little significance. Most people attending are either running for the committee or are required to be there due to other positions they hold. This creates a problem similar to the platforms. Students have no idea what committees plan to do if they are elected. They just vote for who they know.
Promoting conscientious voting starts by making all platforms more accessible and readable. Students often make Instagrams for their campaigns, linking a platform to their account, which helps. Platforms should be sorted into separate documents according to their respective committee, not crammed into a single 200-page document where you must scroll 70 pages to find a certain platform. Campaigns also need to cut the long winded paragraphs and sentiments repeated year after year. In order to make students want to read platforms, they need to feel like 15 minutes looking at four of them would give them a nuanced sense of the candidates. That means highlighting what the candidates unique ideas and qualifications are.
There should also be more time allotted during plenary to speeches and debates. Students who plan on making a lackluster effort while running for a position will be more hesitant to run if they have to speak in front of the entire student body. Though they are often difficult to attain, perhaps more graderooms and MX slots could be utilized.
To be clear, student democracy is one of the best things about Parker. The Student Government system is plentiful and comprehensive and students who work on it are often dedicated and genuine, especially those in charge of organizing the election. But the major thing Student Government lacks is substantive debate and engagement. The elections set the tone for all of Student Government, so they need to be fair and thorough.
A great deal of this burden lies on the student body. “The Weekly” urges you, even if it feels dumb or unnecessary, to commit yourself to being an informed voter. If you consider yourself a citizen of Parker, we believe you have the duty to contribute to its organization and leadership by informing yourself.
If all voters get the chance to hear every candidate speak, and read all of their platforms, they will vote prudently. This will ensure that next year’s student government will be filled with people who are passionate and ambitious.
