This week has been exhausting. People practically speared my clothing with orange pins while stopping me on my way to class. Someone interrupted my lecture wearing a purple shirt to quickly tell me why I should vote. Other people told me to check out their website because it’s super cool, yo.
Last night at a meeting, an individual said “Everyone vote for ------ because I work for them. And if that’s not enough reason, then something is wrong with you.”
If this is the kind of campaign students are practicing, we might as well choose candidates while wearing a blindfold. Honestly, I do care about student government and who becomes elected for IU Student Association. The results will be in Friday morning. Congrats to the winners, whoever you may be.
What I don’t care about is the endless barrage of Facebook messages and Instagrams telling me who to vote for, but not really why to vote for them. I’ve found a general consensus on campus. People simply don’t care. Sure, they’ll vote for their friend’s ex-boyfriend’s sister’s best friend. Not because they really want to, simply because it’s easy. The electronic voting for this year’s IUSA elections is a good thing, but in terms of making students actually care about what policies they’re voting for, it isn’t the best.
By having the online vote, IUSA elections have become a name game. It’s about who can give out the most pins, hand out the most Easter candy, hang the highest banners, shine the brightest smiles or have the tiniest horse.
It’s simply one big game to make your name recognizable on the ticket. But once again, the system falls short. Sure, platforms have their user-friendly websites with plans for the future, but there’s really no accountability.
No one’s going to be outraged when policies don’t end up working out or candidates come up short on fulfilling promises they made prior to becoming elected. Why? Simply because no one knows what policies they promised or what makes each platform different in the first place.
The only thing people care about is how many shots they’ll to take at the new baseball tailgate IUSA made happen. I’m sure there will be a high virtual voter turnout for these elections, but not for the right reasons. A few mouse clicks is far easier than going to the voting booth. In the broader scheme of things, I think we have an issue in the American political system.
The majority of campus isn’t registered to vote even though we’re eligible, according to IU Newsroom. According to the Census Bureau, only 38 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds voted in the 2012 presidential election. What was the other 62 percent doing that Tuesday?
The sad reality is our demographic finds other activities far more rewarding and important than voting in elections. We are well-informed college students who will probably end up voting when we’re 40-year-olds with secure jobs eating a dinner that doesn’t consist of ramen noodles or Easy Mac.
In the real world, all we get is an “I voted today” sticker. That’s awesome, but we can just as easily lie on the poll to say we voted instead. IUSA should be setting an example for how to vote with a conscious mind. This student organization could really make a difference, so I suggest that everyone look up the new winner’s website and do some research about the policies they plan to implement. If we’re informed as a campus about these programs, it will hold student government to a higher standard than to which it has previously been held.
jlkarl@indiana.edu
