Voting remains vital in USAC elections, even with most candidiates running unopposed

For the past three years, voter turnout for the Undergraduate Students Association Council elections has hovered around 37 percent of the undergraduate student population.

With 10 of the 13 positions running uncontested, the upcoming election will likely see a drop in voter turnout.

The reasons for this may seem immediately obvious ““ namely, that the election appears largely to be over before it has even begun. But students should still be voting, as a lower voter turnout will likely affect the current election, upcoming elections and the student body that USAC represents.

In particular, a low voter turnout will have a direct effect on this year’s referendum that will share the election ballot. The referendum, which seeks to increase undergraduate students’ quarterly fees by $3 to provide additional funding for student programming, would take effect next fall. Twenty percent of the campus needs to vote on the referendum for it to be considered ““ meaning if not enough students vote, the referendum will not go through. Regardless of whether or not the referendum should pass, students should be the ones deciding.

Though it is important for students to vote on the referendum, a high voter turnout still seems unlikely in this election.

Voters’ choice has been greatly diminished by the uncontested positions and a decrease in voters’ capacity to choose will likely make them feel that voting is not worth the effort. Furthermore, the only choices available to students are localized to three positions that do not typically motivate voting. These three are the External Vice President, the Cultural Affairs Commissioner and the Financial Support Commissioner.

More influential positions like president are what historically have driven voters to go to the polls.

The fact is, student voters can get behind a president more easily than they could get behind positions like the Financial Support Commissioner. This is because presidential candidates have more visibility because of the position’s influence and the platforms presidents run on typically have more widespread or significant effects on the student body.

The reason why less prominent positions still typically get votes, though, is because of the slate voters and the support from the groups endorsing the slate.

A slate system aligns a group of candidates into a political unit, allowing less visible positions to borrow the political influence that higher-up positions hold.

However, if an office, like the president, is running uncontested, its ability to lend its influence to less visible members of its slate is reduced. People who would normally rush to the polls to ensure their presidential pick gets elected will be less likely to vote, both for president and for the less visible contested positions.

But Bruins United, the only slate running in this year’s USAC election, is looking to counteract this phenomenon this year by focusing its campaigning efforts on getting its three contested candidates into office, said Maggie Thornton, a third-year nursing student and campaign manager for Raquel Saxe, Bruins United’s candidate for External Vice President.

Without the pressure of competition, however, campaigning efforts may not be as strong.

Though uncontested candidates will still likely devote a lot of effort to campaigning, student members of the campaign teams may not work as hard simply because it is unnecessary. This likelihood for a decrease in overall campaign efforts would affect the three Bruins United candidates running for contested positions.

A lack of competition will also likely contribute to a low voter turnout in other ways. As stated by the Daily Bruin’s editorial board, the missing element of competition is harmful to the USAC voting process ““ competition prompts an election to be exciting and productive.

Events that would normally educate and inspire voters will likely be less engaging. After all, one-sided debates are not debates. This lack of engagement could mean that students will not feel motivated to go to the polls and will not carry excitement into next year’s implementation of platform promises.

Much of USAC’s power lies in student interest and support, which may wane come next year when the new council launches new programs.

Taylor Bazley, second-year political science student and an independent candidate running for Financial Support Commissioner, said having fewer people involved in elections means there will be less people involved in USAC, and USAC next year will be weaker as a result.

Voting is important. It is one of the only ways a student can have his or her voice heard on campus issues, and although the choices are fewer this year, there are still certainly choices for students to make.

So although this year’s elections may be less focused on politics, student input on what programs and projects are created remains vital. After all, students each pay $150 a year in tuition fees to USAC and voting is the primary way for students to determine how their money is spent.

Low turnout could also have potentially negative consequences for Bruins United in coming years. Historically, the party has used election season to build its voter base, but with a smaller turnout this year, Bruins United’s voter base could be reduced, leading to a smaller group of students voting in next year’s election.

Campaign season builds up the support for USAC and is when Bruins United gets a lot of people involved, said Thornton.

Without a competitive and therefore exciting election season, Bruins United may have trouble getting new students involved in its party.

Steps are being taken to ensure that voter turnout stays level. All candidates have launched online campaigns and will continue to campaign in the coming weeks.

Additionally, the election board has introduced new things to this election season, including an event to meet the candidates and a filming of all debates. Still, even with all of the pushes to maintain voter turnout and the importance of the referendum’s consideration, I still see a possibility that many students will abstain from voting this year.

Email Guptill at [email protected]. Send general comments to [email protected] or tweet us @DBOpinion.