Student Government elections for the 2019-2020 school year are under a month away, and candidate registration has already begun, with a deadline of Feb. 17. This campaign cycle will differ a bit from previous years, as SG has passed legislation aimed at making campaigning more financially accessible for students interested in running. This cycle, SG will provide campaign funding to some candidates for higher offices and lower the maximum spending caps.*

This is an important adjustment to expand access to Senate seats to more students; however, more work could be done to make the election process more inclusive of student voters. For those unfamiliar with the campaign process, each semester for about two weeks before election day, dozens of signs spring up across campus advertising candidates’ names to the student body. Candidates for Student Body President participate in a debate traditionally hosted by Student Media.

But beyond the highest-profile offices, little focus is given to campaigning on the issues, instead being focused on expanding name recognition. There are a number of factors that contribute to this. For starters, elections are often uncompetitive, with about as many candidates as there are offices.

However, regulations about where and when candidates can campaign, although well-intentioned to preserve students’ privacy, also keep campaigning away from residential areas where students spend much of their time. The main ways students are allowed to campaign are by visiting student organizations and tabling in public spaces; however, this puts a burden on campaign staff to organize these events, and it doesn’t provide an effective exchange between senators and their constituents.

SG could ease this problem by hosting events for Senate candidates to meet their potential constituents ahead of time. This not only gives senators better insight into the needs of students, but it also allows students to feel like they know their senators in case they have an issue SG can resolve.

Under the current system, the online ballot includes a link to a document with candidates’ biographies, which students must trudge through in order to have an informed stance on the candidates. Of course, this is useful only when all candidates have listed biographies, and often, some candidates don’t. The biographies also generally don’t include candidates’ stances on issues like fee hikes, focusing instead on their personal qualifications.

Thus, it is often difficult to be a truly informed voter, and so candidates, with no real means of distinguishing themselves on substance, must resort to putting their names on as many sidewalks as possible and hoping students remember them enough to vote — that is, when the candidates haven’t already won by default.

Election turnout for Student Senate is often abysmal. The fall 2018 election drew just over 600 votes total. Although the voting link was included in that week’s HOWL, the election could have been better publicized, maybe in its own, distinct email for those students who don’t regularly read the HOWL. The spring 2018 election didn’t even provide that — one email a week before and another email a day afterwards were the only notice given to students choosing the next student body president.

SG has influence over a number of issues which are crucial for students, such as recommending fee hikes, allocating funds to student organizations and starting initiatives to better student life. It’s far too difficult as it stands for the typical student to cast a well-informed ballot that actually makes an impact on how Student Government runs. The current government should start working now to make future elections more accessible to all members of the Pack.

*Editor’s note: this column originally misstated which candidates would receive campaign funding assistance.