It’s election time again for the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) and as usual, it’s a two-team race for six executive positions.
This year’s elections are bringing something new to the table with online voting, but unfortunately, some things are still the same — students only have two options on each executive ballot.
It would have been beneficial to the democratic process to have had at least one other slate or a few independents running for executive roles because there would’ve been more healthy competition, leading to more discussion about the issues and more options for students.
When CUSA elections involve only two slates running for executive spots, candidates sometimes run for a position because they think they can win against the opposing candidate, rather than running for the position best suited to their personal strengths. Once the race begins, candidates may become focused on toeing the party line and taking stances to directly oppose the other slate.
This isn’t a critique of the two slates, “Fresh” and “A Better Carleton.” But more competition would force them to truly come up with the best possible ideas, to the benefit of the student electorate, rather than simply responding to the other side. A third slate could also have helped their campaigns by making it harder to directly attack the opposition or be blamed for attacks on the opponent.
CUSA elections are becoming a type of dynasty, with different faces taking the same stances year after year. After council became divided in two this year, extra voices in the race could have been a welcome addition to the CUSA mix.
