Election time is now underway; last week was for nominations and this week is devoted to campaigning. The vote takes place this week.
With changes being made to the SRC bylaws this year, several positions have been cut and some new ones have been added to the roster. However, there has been little interest expressed for this term’s SRC positions, both new and old.
Whereas the position of Accessibility/Disability Representative has garnered some attention, SRC President Kenya Plut told The Baron that, “the LGBTQ+ and Mature Student representative [positions] have [unfortunately] not seen an increased turnout.”
A consequence of this low amount of interest is that around only three students have picked up nomination forms. Kenya reports that, “One issue that we face, and most student councils the same, is that students must be above the age of 19. I believe this may be constricting the incoming flow of students.”
Only two students of the three who took nomination forms have come through nomination week and are actively campaigning: Harley Harrity for Arts Representative and Adanna Ogunka for International Representative.
The SRC aids those running in their campaigns by providing them with Instagram and Snapchat accounts, as well as a personal website. Candidates also traditionally give speeches, meet other students one-on
-one to discuss issues, and advocated their candidacy via Facebook in the form of groups or pages.
As with all SRC elections in the recent past, voter turnout has been low.
“Low voter turnout is an issue faced by universities across the country,” Plut told The Baron, “It’s not something that can be easily fixed – students just aren’t into student politics.”
