Why student elections are

like national elections

When we allow apathy to take over, everyone loses
By: Steven Justin Sy - @inquirerdotnet
09:19 AM July 15, 2017

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ILLUSTRATION BY TRISTAN YUVIENCO

At some point in our lives, we have come in contact with a student leader. Whether its
the student council president, debate team captain, glee club president or editor in chief
of the school paper, a student leader, especially in high school, represents the ideals of
democracy and meritocracy.

This is a lie.
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They say that history repeats itself, and this is no truer than in a student election.

Archetypal candidates
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Though the faces may change every year, the same two archetypal candidates remain
whether in school or national elections.

The first archetype is the unopposed establishment candidate. Establishment

politicians, in general, are the friendly, familiar faces in government. They have a well-
funded political machinery and deep ties with the administration.
Establishment candidates in a student organization are the same. Good-looking, popular
and charismatic, these candidates have been part of a club or organization since their
grade school years. Theyre almost always guaranteed to win an election.

With these candidates, debates become unbearably pointless. This is because they
tend to stick to the status quo, which is always a safe way to secure a position.

This is not to say that establishment leaders arent worth your vote. Theyre there for
good reason: experience, competence and motivation.

It becomes an issue only when a candidate is unopposed. Such an election is boring and
results in low voter turnout. This, in turn, affects constituents in such a way that they
tend to be apathetic to other concerns.
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When an establishment candidate is pitted against a strong opposition candidate, the

former is forced to clarify his views and prove to people why he is worthy of their
votes.

The second archetype is tricky to identify.

Usually, this archetype joins organizations where he is appointed, not elected, to his
position by the previous administration.

Apparently, the positions these candidates desire are so valuable that theyll do
anything to secure the titlefrom making friends (or enemies) of their opponents, to
throwing them under the bus or spreading fake news about them.

Two reasons

There are two reasons such candidates exist. First, people tend to choose individuals
who appear competent when they actually arent. When presented with a list of
candidates, even seasoned leaders stick to the names and faces they are familiar with,
rather than those whom they dont know too well even if they show true promise.
Secondly, its desperation. As a student gets older, he slowly realizes that his last years
in high school can have a bearing on the college or university that accepts him. When
push comes to shove, choosing between the truth and adding another entry in ones CV
is a difficult decision to make, even among the best of us. As Cersei Lannister said to
Eddard Stark: In the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.

But whether its student body elections or national elections, the seeds of political
division and outright corruption have already been planted and taken root. And while
its easy to point fingers at candidates who do not live up to our expectations, they are
actually not entirely to blame. They are the manifestations of a deteriorating culture.

All elections will have winners and losers, and when the dust settles and the new
leaders emerge, the least we can do is respect the process that put these people in
power. It is when we allow apathy and divisiveness to take over that everyone loses.

No exceptions. CONTRIBUTED

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