As I’m sure many people remember, Student Government elections were about three weeks ago. The election, which was decided in a runoff, led to junior Jackie Gonzalez and sophomore Mia Connell being announced as our new student body president and vice president. In about two weeks, they will be sworn into office to begin their year-long tenures. There was something about the whole election process, after it happened, that really concerned me, and it has nothing to do with the nominees/winners themselves. Rather, what concerns me is the number of NC State students that actually logged on and voted.

Just under 6000 students voted on the originally scheduled voting day — just 17 percent of the 34,000 of us that attend NC State, both undergraduate and graduate combined. The runoff election saw 4,564 voters log on to break the near-tie between the Gonzalez/Connell ticket and the Brad Barbee/Jack Pashby ticket. This was over a thousand people less than those who participated in the original election, so just 13 percent of the student body. 17 percent of students deciding to log on and vote is obviously not a lot. In fact, the number is extremely low. The Student Government elections are not some trivial show put on by Student Government. The student body president, vice president and all the elected students will make important decisions that will directly impact everyone that goes here. It is for this reason that seeing only 17 percent of our student body bothered to vote in the first place is worrisome.

I saw the apathy firsthand when I asked a friend of mine on election morning who he planned on voting for. He asked me, dumbfounded, “For what?” When I reminded him what I was talking about, he told me he’d forgotten all about it, that he knew nothing about the candidates, and that he would get around to it if he had some free time. He ended up not voting. I had a similar experience when I went to one of my classes that afternoon, and asked two classmates if they planned to vote; they said probably not. They were far from concerned about who would win, and what it would mean. These reactions are clearly indicative of the feelings of well over three-quarters of our student body on election day.

So why did so few people care enough to vote on Feb. 28?

Is it because only 17 percent of the student body cares about the well-being of State and the experience they and their peers have? Well of course not. I believe that everyone that goes here takes pride in our school and their education and only wants to see it improve. Maybe it’s because the election wasn’t well-advertised? Except, that’s definitely not true, because if I remember correctly I couldn’t walk 10 feet on North, Central or even Centennial Campus without seeing posters and signs urging students to log on to vote for a specific candidate, for two weeks.

So, one has to wonder, if it isn’t that our student body is apathetic and unaware, why didn’t most students express their right to vote? I have a theory, and I think it’s largely to do with how engaged Student Government is with the student body as a whole. I am a transfer student, so I have limited knowledge of how Student Government here functions and interacts with the student body. But even in my limited experience, I can’t say that I’ve felt engaged with Student Government, whatsoever. I have the sneaking suspicion that the organization feels like this large presence that exists on campus, but that most students do not feel knowledgeable or included in what happens inside of it. To test this theory, I went to Hunt Library and asked five random students if they’d voted in the election. Amazingly, all five of them said no. Also, only one of the five even knew who won the election in the first place. The rest never bothered to find out. 

Erika Grandstaff, a senior studying anthropology, said, “I feel like every year around student elections I see a lot of wonderful signs with slogans up but I don’t necessarily know a lot about what [the candidates] want to do.” When I asked her if she felt that elected Student Government members engaged with students enough she said, “Other than the student body president’s weekly emails I don’t see that much from them.” 

Coult Culler, a junior studying parks, recreation and tourism management, said he didn’t vote because he “just didn’t know” about the election. The reactions of these students make me feel that my theory is probably right, and that most students probably feel this way.

In all fairness, I will say that Student Body President Paul Nolan does a great job emailing everyone weekly. He writes important updates and conversational anecdotes, which I believe do a great job of making him personable and accessible. I also don’t think that that’s enough. The Technician also ran a lengthy feature on each presidential candidate, and their stances, with questions and answers. This was great and helpful, but Student Government should think about more ways to directly engage with the student body and make students aware that they do not make decisions in a vacuum.

I believe things like one “town-hall” style meeting every semester, where students can ask questions and give suggestions to the president, could be extremely helpful. Individual college representatives could also attend. Grandstaff suggested a “meet your Student Government representatives” night every semester where students can meet elected Student Government members. I also believe that sending out monthly newsletters via email to every student updating them on bills and other actions being taken by Student Government could add transparency and inclusivity. Culler suggested using social media more. Apps like Snapchat and Instagram could be engaging for students as well. Student Government’s relationship with the student body does not have to be so distant, and more students could certainly feel engaged enough to want to vote/participate. Student Government leaders just have to take initiative to get there.

I will say that while I recognize that the student body president, vice president, senators, etc. are student leaders, they are students first. Their job is first and foremost to get their education. I understand that they do not have the time or ability to do it all, and I do not expect them to. I also recognize that students are accountable for their own actions, and should try to become more engaged themselves. While we are all busy with our schoolwork, clubs/activities, jobs, etc. it is also up to us to try to take initiative to remain engaged with what is happening on campus, specifically elections, as these things effect everyone. It’s time to start a conversation about how our elected student leaders can build a bridge, so that more students can feel engaged with Student Government.  We can certainly do better than a 17 percent voter turnout during elections; Student Government elections are so important for our school’s environment. I hope that the new president, vice president, senators and other members are up to the task of engaging more with the student body. It can happen, the work just needs to be put in by everyone to get there.