The 2018 Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) elections saw an unprecedented result: the ‘no confidence’ option won three out of the six executive positions—including that of CUSA president. This was only the second year the ‘no confidence’ option was included on the ballot, leaving one to wonder what election results could have been, had the option been included on the ballot in previous years.
The voter results show that students at Carleton are not only discontent with the choice of candidates, but with their students’ association as a whole. This isn’t to say that the candidates weren’t qualified. It just means that students don’t know if they are or not, and therefore aren’t willing to vote on it.
Some argue that students are uninformed, some say the election process was undemocratic, and some simply want to see a change in CUSA’s administration. The ‘no confidence’ victory is likely a result of all these factors. But, if nothing else, the election results show that students don’t feel connected with their association and are demanding a change.
It remains clear that CUSA needs to do more to be transparent about elections. This means advertising in advance, encouraging candidates to run, and being clear about how the electoral process works. Executives need to be especially careful about the electoral process if they’re going to campaign for a slate, so they don’t even have the appearance of a conflict of interest—something many students were concerned about this election.
After all, they are the representatives for the entire undergraduate student body. Students should be able to see how their executives are serving them all year round—not just when they’re looking for a vote.
