COLUMN: If you don’t care, then don’t vote
Students who don’t know why they’re voting shouldn’t vote.
Before anyone can accuse me of being a tyranny enthusiast, let me rephrase that: Every student should vote intelligently in the USU/SA elections.
If you don’t care how 16 elected officials will decide one-point-however-many million dollars of student tuition and fee money, don’t vote. If you’re upset that only 1 in 10 students will vote, then go ahead and cast a ballot.
But read the candidate platforms and vote based on who you actually think will make the best decisions as your personal representative.
Don’t vote for a candidate just because someone handed you their flier. Don’t vote for someone just because they’re physically attractive. Don’t vote for someone just because they’re your friend. Don’t vote for someone just because they’re unopposed and they’re the only one listed on the ballot. Don’t vote for someone you think may be cheating their way through cracks and loopholes of vague election bylaws. Don’t vote for someone just because they had the same position last year and nothing earth-shatteringly bad happened to the university. Don’t vote for someone just because their campaigners were the least annoying as you walked from the TSC to the library. Don’t vote for someone who put down their favorite basketball team as a qualification for office.
Definitely don’t vote for someone because they held a flashmob on campus.
If one or more of the ideas listed above are the primary motivators in your voting decision, don’t vote. OK, OK, I’m trying to tell you to find an actual reason.
Vote for someone who has actual ideas, goals and plans. Vote for someone who has the actual power and ability to achieve that vision. Make your vote actually count.
If you’re not willing to do that, then you really just shouldn’t even vote.
But in all actuality, thanks for voting. I may not sound very sincere when I say it, but I do actually appreciate you exercising your right and responsibility to take part in campus politics.
– Tavin Stucki is the editor-in-chief of The Utah Statesman. His articles have won awards and appeared in numerous news publications throughout Utah. Send any comments to statesmaneditor@aggiemail.usu.edu.