Prompted by a global pandemic, rising civil unrest, increasing economic hardship, and systemic racial oppression, many serious societal issues have come to the forefront of political discourse, forcing many of us toward a process of radical self-analysis.
In this process, many students have come to the conclusion that they have been ignored by their leaders on multiple levels, including ones on campus. And yet, many students remain reluctant to come out to the polls in support of the issues they care most about.
Students I’ve talked to have an increasing number of questions. They want to know why recent graduates are paying interest on their student loans while so many are struggling to find work. They want to know why more resources aren’t being provided to manage the massive mental health crisis we are currently facing.
Outside of these questions, millions of people worldwide, including many Carleton University students, showed solidarity in standing up to the pervasive issue of racial inequality and systemic oppression present in not just the U.S., but in Canada as well, through supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
However, as we look to leaders of the past for inspiration in taking on the challenges before us, we must all ask ourselves: in our historic apathy for campus politics, are we truly representing the ideals these leaders were fighting for?
The most successful civil rights movements have succeeded in fighting for voting rights. How, then, can we begin to live up to these ideals if in a CUSA election we have only 8,810 ballots cast out of an undergraduate population of approximately 28,000 students—a voter turnout of about 34 per cent?
Student associations and unions have a rich and deep history rooted in the fight against increasing tuition, systemic oppression, climate justice, and more. They are an important political battleground for students, and have the ability to make substantial change on campus in ways Canada’s government is unable to.
Additionally, marked by the change in direction from the controversy in last year’s CUSA elections, it’s quite evident that our student association has entered a significant evolutionary stage where everyone’s voice will be vital in the direction it takes.
This year’s elections have also come with their own set of controversies that can and should be resolved by student votes at the polls.
In the midst of this year’s first ever virtual election, many have voiced their concerns about the justification behind banning the use of an entire social media platform (Reddit) in an election—one of the few platforms upon which all candidates are guaranteed the same amount of exposure.
These concerns raise valid questions: What sets the many social media platforms used for CUSA campaigning apart from Reddit to warrant this unique action? Will future electoral officials (that are hired only after being ratified by current CUSA executives and councillors themselves, many of whom re-run for positions every year) theoretically be able to once again ban certain social media platforms?
In the opinion of many Carleton students, this decision was not properly justified by this year’s CUSA chief electoral officer, having given the Charlatan a vague statement that Reddit was not considered to “have a reputation for respecting the conduct of positive politics and positive campaigning.”
If CUSA truly cared about creating an equal playing field for all candidates, they would have sought to moderate and control its use to avoid toxic behaviour, just as it has done with all other campaigning platforms. This is an especially unfair move for candidates who may not have as many Instagram followers or Facebook friends as competitors with more extensive histories in student politics. Otherwise, it appears as if CUSA is consciously censoring candidates’ rights to freely share their views with potential voters.
In fact, in the 2009 CUSA election, the campus’s first elected Black president was disqualified from the election after the votes were counted because a supporter made Facebook ads for his campaign without his consent. In retrospect, such an action toward a candidate seems ridiculous. I suspect we will have the same view on banning an entire social media platform in 12 years time.
In order to make a concrete difference in how CUSA conducts itself before, during, and after elections, it is imperative students vote for candidates whom they believe will put the effort in to make these changes.
Sitting idly by and choosing not to vote, allowing others to make decisions regarding the future of your student association for you, might result in the election of an administration whom you approve of overall, which is great—but may also result in the election of an administration which still aims to maintain the status quo of questionable electoral processes.
This is a well-placed concern, considering last year, thousands of students—co-op students and those who chose to opt out of CUSA fees—had their voting rights taken away without their consent. This resulted in a massive uproar which led to their reinstated voting rights, albeit with only a few hours left to vote instead of the full two days all voters were entitled to.
But voting in student elections means more than making a difference in CUSA’s election conduct. In last year’s CUSA elections, many executive and council candidates highlighted the need for greater action on issues such as sustainability, mental health, systemic oppression and racism on our campus.
As a student who has suffered traumatic experiences of systemic oppression on our campus, I have witnessed firsthand CUSA’s lack of willingness to address these issues. Choosing to abstain from voting in one of the most important student elections we’ve had in years is choosing to be apathetic towards the concerns and strain of your fellow students.
How can we expect to bring these issues to the forefront of political discourse in places where young people often do not hold power (particularly mainstream politics) if we are incapable of making our voices heard with our ballots at the levels where we do hold power?
Political discourse is what led to a CUSA election where so many social and environmental justice issues became front and centre topics for the first time in a long time last year, and it is continued political discourse (i.w. the act of voting) that will allow us to make concrete change as members of the student body.
Featured graphic by Pascale Malenfant.
