This op-ed is a response to an op-ed titled “CUSA’s slate system leads to illegitimate elections,” published Feb. 9, 2020.
It’s clear we have an issue with our student union.
You can see it in the way students bemoan election season across the Internet, and how more and more students are calling out CUSA for the way elections are run. And how for each vice-presidential position, the number of no confidence and abstained votes this year could have swung the election.
In light of what happened to the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) and the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU), this simply isn’t good enough. We have to be willing to stand up for a student union which we believe in. But, how do we get one?
One of the recent op-eds about CUSA elections, by Rob Binkowski, went further than simply pointing out flaws—he asked some questions. Namely, how can this system be fixed and how can we encourage students to run strong independent campaigns?
Binkowski said he didn’t have the answers, but as a campaign manager for an independent campaign this year, I might.
The biggest issue is accessibility. A major reason we don’t have more independent candidates is most people can’t run.
Let me ask you a question: If someone asked you to drop $600 out of pocket on a deck you know is stacked against you, could you do it? If your campaign manager told you you’d have to skip your classes and take two weeks off of work to even have a chance, could you?
No matter how badly you want it, could you even do it? For most students, I’m going to guess the answer is no. Does that mean you wouldn’t be a good executive? Of course not.
Right now, candidates are allowed to spend up to $600, and CUSA reimburses 50 per cent of what they spend—up to $300. Why not just reimburse 100 per cent of $300 instead? Yes, you’d still have to have the cash upfront, but that one move would still greatly increase accessibility.
People will say we can’t lower the cap because campaigns are expensive. An outright ban of printed lit would fix this.
I could wax poetic about the environmental benefits, but frankly that’s not important here. Printed literature is easily the most expensive part of an independent campaign. Cutting out this major cost across the board makes a lower cap more feasible, while keeping the campaign fair.
It would also force candidates to have meaningful conversations with students, rather than just shoving a piece of paper into their hands.
We should also seriously consider getting rid of slates. I’m not going to cover this topic since others like Tyler Boswell and Binkowski have already done a great job at that. But, it is telling that a lot of the hate directed towards CUSA elections is directed at the slate system and the slates which take part in it. It’s time the council seriously considers banning slates.
Finally, nomination and campaigning dates remain an issue. There are so many ways to fix this. We can pick a fixed date, set the election later in the term like it used to be, advertise it better—or all three.
While we’re at it, we should consider (slightly) extending these periods. I have friends who wanted to run but couldn’t risk missing class or taking time off work. Extending these periods would mean more time to reach students and they wouldn’t have to worry as much about the times they couldn’t be out “on the floor.”
I know we all hate the campaigning period, but this would make elections far more accessible. Isn’t that worth a few more days? And remember, nobody would be shoving flyers into your face.
This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it would be a good start. Remember, it’s your student union. There’s nothing wrong with trying to make sure it’s accessible to all.
File photo.
