It’s that time of year again: ASUO elections.
Let’s be honest – most students don’t pay much attention to the ASUO. But this year, take a quick glance at any Emerald and you’ll notice the drama that seems to consume our student government.
Much like the national level, a party system has developed. From reading Friday’s article on the elections (“Elections for ASUO spike to 83 candidates,” ODE, March 13), it’s clear that the slate system is at the heart of this political division. As the article states, “slates are platforms shared by candidates in multiple races, equivalent to political parties.” We complain about political division at the national level inhibiting real work from happening, so why encourage division on campus?
Our representatives should be accountable to students, rather than the other members of the slate they run. Yet, it often seems the ASUO is more focused on inner-drama than on responding to the concerns of students. What’s even more alarming about this year is that slate names will be next to candidates’ names on the ballot. More than ever, this will encourage “voting along party lines,” and leave those who have chosen to run independently at an unfair disadvantage.
Given the state of the economy and new University president, next year will be an important year for student government, so we can’t afford to have our representatives be unproductive because of political divisions. This year, let’s strive to be educated voters. Let’s vote for individuals who we believe will best represent students, regardless of the party with which they align.
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