Student Government Elections are Crucial

While the public’s attention is focused on whether Hillary will win the U.S. presidential election that takes place in over a year, I encourage students to come back to the present moment and focus on what’s happening now.

The Associated Students of the Uni­versity of Washington Tacoma (ASUWT) is currently holding an election where students get to chose their student body representatives for the 2015-2016 school year. This is an election that will have a significant impact on the UWT com­munity. This is an election that matters. Because “We the Students” only get a once-in-a-year opportunity to choose who will hold these prestigious positions. Furthermore, our votes will ultimately decide who will be held accountable for making UWT a better place. That’s a big responsibility.

Look, I love this school but there are problems here. There are problems that affect all of us as students. Our best chance at making a lasting change is to elect the right people who will bring forth innova­tive solutions. ASUWT provides an out­let where we can make our voices heard and create lasting change, because an election is not just about those of us who run, but also about those of us who vote.

Current ASUWT President Patterson has stated that those who run for student government “will speak on our behalf on a wide range of interests.”

Pssst. By the way, student government officials get paid by us. In other words, the whole “I don’t care” attitude is not the right mindset to have because the money you spend should matter to you.

In the end, there is no democracy without participation. There is no democ­racy without voting. It is up to us to make a difference. Student government is of the students, for the students, by the students. Yet, last year’s voter turnout of 18.6 per­cent (which is the highest turnout ever recorded on this campus) reflects a grim fact that there aren’t many students who actually realize the importance of student government.

Remember: we are the employers. Let’s hire the right people to get the job done. Please use your voting power to make sure that on May 18 (the day the results of the election will be announced) the right people will be elected into office.