Know your vote

The posters have been hung by the entrances with care, in hope that Suzy or Sam will be the candidate with your vote. This year’s Student Senate general election has plenty of candidates to choose from, which can make voting difficult. Sure, with over 20 candidates in total it’s overwhelming when you look at the ballot, but this is a good problem to have. We have so many students whom are willing to serve us and to show us what they can offer the student body.

The platforms given out so far have been vague and non-committal, but that is the nature of the beast that is student government. What we have to do — as voting members of the Drake community — take that into account. The platforms are vague because the senators have no idea what can be accomplished until they are sworn in. The ideas molded initially are about what problems are currently grasping campus, and they have to move on from there. The bureaucratic red tape that many of the student run into also restrict Student Senate at times.

Thinking about it, though, as voters and constituents of these students, we need to make it our job to vote for those who are most capable, those who want to prove themselves. This year there are many senators with name recognition and experience around the table, but as a voter you have the obligation to think about how they have served you this year. How have they proved themselves as good senators?  When you open that electronic ballot, vote for who you truly believe can make a difference, not just the person whose name you recognize.

It’s what a candidate can truly offer around the table that makes him or her a good candidate. It’s not the Greek house that makes the candidate — it’s the ideas that make the person.

As voters, we also have to think of our representation around the table. Yes, 30 percent of campus is involved in Greek life, but that means 70 percent (the majority, mind you) is not involved. Our representation should reflect that. With a total of 24 senators sitting around the table, that means only seven should be Greek.

We, the Drake University Student Body, need and deserve an elected body that will listen to us and represent us to its greatest ability. When we open our ballot through BlueView over the next few days, we need to do ourselves the ultimate favor with our governing board — vote for whom we truly believe in. Not who our friends told to vote for. Not who had the best posters. We’re not voting for the person’s organizations, we’re not voting for his or her allegiances, we’re voting for the candidate.