Almost four years ago I was witness to one of the most incredible examples of democracy in action this campus has witnessed in over 40 years. Kendra Key ran for president of the Student Government Association and set the campus on its heels. She avoided the typical and cliche debate over the Machine, which infests campus politics, and instead called on students to listen to her plan. In the final hour she lost, but she was only 231 votes shy of victory. Never since have I seen a candidate of her quality and integrity nor an election so vibrant and stirring.
In the coming months our campus will be swarmed with election rhetoric. Candidates from each arena will entrench themselves on the promenade and the quad, entreating each passerby to send in their vote and hear their voice represented on campus. Yet, I ask, what for? Why the charade?
Machine candidates already know their positions are secured; independents will decry the injustice and the majority of campus will drag on blissfully and apathetically. It’s a wondrous theatrical performance. So, why experience the sham effort at democracy and inclusion?
Elections on this campus appear almost entirely as a matter of form, a ritual designed to placate and pacify a largely uncaring and disconnected university body. You will inevitably ask yourself the same questions I pose to myself: What do these elected bodies do for us? What is the impact on my college experience? The answer is not so simple, as I learned from Ms. Key.
These elected bodies are intimately connected to the halls of power at our university. Through Student Affairs they hold a stake in the resources and services distributed to us. They represent us to Bama Dining, distribute money to our organizations and intramural sports teams, and they plan the major activities in which we all take part, i.e. football ticket sales and Homecoming. Before we dismiss our student government out of disinterest or frustration, we must ask how we can make them accountable to us.
The rhetoric surrounding the campaign will beg us to “beat the Machine” or elect leaders who “truly” want to represent our voice. I say dismiss both and come to your own decision. Decrying the inequity and injustice of the Machine is a pointless endeavor. They function much like a political party with their own voting bloc, but it is a bloc that is outnumbered 2 to 1. If you truly desire to see your interest reflected on campus, disregard the polemic political dialogue and learn to make informed decisions with regard to your vote.
Educate yourself on what your tuition dollars and fees fund. Ask your candidates tougher questions concerning the reach of their decisions. If you want this spring’s elections to represent an authentic democracy, then demand that it be so by casting an informed vote.
Those in power maintain a vested interest in perpetuating the status quo, and they rely on our complacency. Their fiercest opposition will not be an independent candidate, but an informed electorate which critically examines their methods and decisions.
If you are anything like me and tire of noise coming from the mouthpieces on both sides, then use the power you hold to learn what actually happens on this campus and how our student government functions. Elections become matters of ritual when we allow them to devolve into such. The power to establish a thoughtful and accountable student government rests in our hands.
