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Thursday, 03 April 2008 |
SGA voter turnout pathetic
In the election for the 2008-09 Student Government Association president and vice president held last weekend, the four tickets on the ballot received a combined 1,366 votes last weekend - only 296 more votes than the unopposed Gilliam-Windley ticket received last year.
The Appalachian thinks this is pathetic.
The race has currently moved into a run-off period but, had there not been a rule requiring candidates to
obtain more than 50 percent of the vote, 513 students would have determined the outcome of next
year’s SGA president – less than 4 percent of the entire student body.
One reason we believe the voter turn out was so low was because the SGA Elections Board chose to
hold the voting period during the weekend following Easter Break.
Students had a weeklong Spring Break followed by an Easter Break and didn’t have a lot of opportunity
to see the limited number of fliers and information posted around campus.
The SGA Elections Board also chose to have the debate the Thursday after Easter Break. Students
had barely been in class for two days when the poorly advertised debate took place.
According to research by The Appalachian, only 43 students attended the debate for the full two hours,
13 of whom were members of the current SGA.
Only four of polled attendees had heard about the event via SGA advertisements.
At the peak of the debate, there were fewer than 68 students in attendance.
The current SGA administration and the elections board should both be held responsible for the poor
voter turnout.
The fact that many students do not understand the importance of SGA positions may also attribute to
the low turnout.
The current administration should be responsible for making students aware of the magnitude of these
positions and the impact these candidates may have on the university.
The SGA president has a hand in the on-campus alcohol policy, textbook rentals, tuition and fee
increases, stadium seating, tailgating spots on game days, library hours, the number of computers on
campus, education funding, community relations, and the cost of student housing. This is just a short
list of the ways the SGA president can impact both your collegiate experience and your wallet.
According to the SGA Constitution, the president represents the Appalachian student body in all
dealings with faculty, staff or administration.
The president also serves as a member of the Appalachian State Board of Trustees and appoints
students to university committees.
More students should realize that being the SGA president is not just another activity to put on a
resume.
It’s a real responsibility that affects everyone.
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