Carleton University students will be casting a virtual ballot this Friday for an upcoming referendum calling on decreasing the number of elections taking place on campus.
The referendum was drafted and approved at the latest Students Against Campus Politics (SACP) meeting March 28. Ben-Anthony Pacon, SACP president, said the referendum was “long overdue.”
“I can’t go a day without hearing about an election or a campaign or something else related to student politics. I speak for all students when I say we’re tired and we’ve had enough,” he said.
The referendum question wording, which was hotly debated at the meeting, has now changed to, “Do you think we’re drowning in campaigns and voting and should have fewer elections?”
Students will be able to cast either a yes or no vote.
If passed, Pacon said exact details on what changes the referendum would enact are an ongoing conversation.
“This vote is the first step towards achieving true peace on campus, but once it’s passed we’re going to nail down exactly what it means,” he said.
Pacon added the details are being kept a surprise for students, and himself and other members of the SACP “totally” know what the referendum would mean for student politics.
Carla Rodney, a second-year communications student, said the number of elections has taken a toll on her emotional health and well-being.
“Sometimes I go days without checking my phone since I’m so terrified of coming across someone campaigning for the most recent election. Living in fear 24-7 is no way to live,” she said.
Rodney said her newly developed fear of election content had led her to spend long periods of time away from her social media accounts, which are her third source of income.
“Being on the road to TikTok fame is not easy and it’s not something I take lightly, but when even my For You page is flooded with people campaigning, my safe haven is gone,” Rodney said, adding she no longer feels safe online.
Since campaigning for CUSA elections first started in January, Rodney said she’s seen her screen time decrease to five hours a day from the usual 12. Her following and engagement have also taken a hit.
“I went from almost 10,000 followers to 7,000 in just a few weeks. I’ve lost sponsorship opportunities and also get less direct messages from cute TikTokers, which obviously makes me feel really bad about myself,” Rodney said.
While the referendum is still a few days away, Rodney has been spending time encouraging her followers to “vote yes for less election stress.”
According to a poll of students on Reddit earlier this week, the referendum is expected to pass with a majority in favour of the yes vote.
Arnold Raven, a public affairs and policy management student campaigning for the upcoming summer student representative elections, said he finds the referendum unfair and targeting “ambitious and motivated” students on campus.
As an aspiring politician, Raven said he’s worried the referendum, if passed, might affect his path to a political career in the future.
“Listening to a small minority of students on Reddit and thinking this referendum will actually pass is shocking to me and, frankly, paints a misrepresentative picture of the beautiful mosaic of the Carleton community,” Raven said.
Raven said misinformation spreading about the referendum encouraged him to launch a #LeaveOurPollsAlone campaign calling on students to vote no at the polls come Friday.
“The message behind this referendum is clear,” Raven said during an Instagram Live encouraging students to vote in opposition of the referendum. “They hate elections. They hate democracy. The very integrity of our electoral process is at stake.”
Students living in Ottawa will receive their ballot by raccoon delivery Thursday evening, with students outside of the city receiving their ballot via Cmail. Ballots will stop being counted as soon as the yes vote has a clear majority.
Featured photo from file.
