As the student population blasts through the election season, a proposed change in the Student Government Association (SGA) election process has arisen to make the elections fairer.
“The SGA will be done through a process similar to, but not exactly like, the electoral college in the U.S. government,” SGA board member Sanam Analouei said. “The current SGA and the other class boards are hoping that this change will allow more reliable and fit people for the position of the school-wide board.”
For the new proposed electoral system, the process will be more intense and difficult to ensure that the elected candidates are truly the best fit for the position.
“Instead of a popular vote, anyone can run, but the electoral college will be composed of the eight class sponsors, a member of each class board and school administrators,” Analouei said.
The goal for this change in the election system aims to reduce the presence of the common “popularity contest” stereotype in student government elections.
According to freshmen class board sponsor David Barkley, the popularity of each candidate does have some influence over whether or not that person gets elected.
“I think unfortunately in any sort of election, it happens … because it’s for a high school student government and people vote for their friends,” Barkley said. “It’s a very social thing to do.”
Having the popularity aspect present in the SGA elections, however, does not necessarily hinder the success of the organization overall.
“When [students] get elected for the most part, they rise up to the task that they have. There are certain expectations of our student government. If those people who are elected because they’re popular aren’t pulling the weight, they get a lot of push-back from their friends later on,” Barkley said.
Although students often tend to vote for their friends during these elections, the required speech that each candidate delivers to the student body is seen as one of the most vital aspects of the current election process.
“The way that people get to know their candidates [is] either through their speeches, or if they have already been on board, through their knowledge of what they have done that year,” Analouei said. “The way a candidate presents themselves in their speech is very important in how people vote.”