After half of the executive positions for the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) were won over by the ‘no confidence’ vote, CUSA’s new approach to spreading word about the upcoming byelection on March 21 and 22 is long overdue.
CUSA has pulled out all the stops this time around, with election advertising all over social media. At a council meeting on Feb. 27, motions were passed to advertise future elections further in advance and more extensively, allow more time between the drop of the writ and the nomination period, and to provide a longer nomination period. In addition, the upcoming byelection will be spread out over the next few weeks to allow for the implementation of these changes.
It’s unfortunate that this positive change comes as the result of an election reflecting the disillusionment and disengagement of Carleton students with CUSA.
The steps CUSA has made to improve the electoral process are positive ones. However, these changes might prove to be ineffective this year, as students will likely grow more discouraged, disillusioned, and irritated with the process as they are bombarded in the tunnels with the candidates running in various elections across campus.
With the Board of Governors and Rideau River Residence Association elections happening just a week before the byelection, campaigning for the various elections will overlap. Now, CUSA and the elections office must work extra hard to hold the attention of students for the byelection, which wouldn’t have happened if they took better initiative from the beginning.
The byelection serves to remind student government that students are paying attention, and they’re waiting to see what will come next.
