The importance of voting in USG elections

Election season is well underway for the University of Connecticut’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG), with voting open from March 4 to March 6 at noon. This busy period presents an opportunity for all UConn students, whether they are first-year students or graduating this semester, to make their voices heard and have a say on matters concerning their college education.  

USG, founded in 1893, works with the UConn administration to serve and advocate for the interests of the student body, as well as allocate funding for Tier II organizations. USG is made up of three distinct branches based off the federal government structure: legislative, executive, and judicial. Each year, elections take place to determine who will receive several important positions within the organization. The roles of president, vice president, comptroller and chief diversity officer are all up for grabs in the executive branch, and candidates for those positions participated in a USG debate on Feb. 24.  

There are also 45 open senate seats, some of which may be voted on by all undergraduate students at UConn and others that represent a certain academic school or college.  

Voting in USG elections is certainly not the only way to get involved on campus, but it is a simple and powerful way to represent yourself as a student of UConn. However small of an act voting may seem, it signals that you are aware of your surroundings at the university, and is a recognition of the extensive body of work which USG carries out. While USG has limited jurisdiction over UConn affairs – it cannot, for instance, control funding for Tier III organizations or require the university administration to create or implement specific policy items – the ways in which it works to give students a voice include many important aspects. One such advocacy arm includes the four committees which tackle specific issues on campus: Student Services, Academic Affairs, External Affairs and Diversity and Outreach. Diversity and Outreach was previously known as Student Development. All of these committees contribute important advocacy work in their respective areas of jurisdiction and are comprised of elected senators.  

Casting a vote also gives students a say on who exactly they want to run the complex and extensive apparatus of USG, especially when it comes to the presidential election. There are four campaigns running for presidential office, each with different priorities and focuses for the position they are seeking. If students do not vote, they are unable to affect the outcome of this important choice that will impact their years at UConn.  

It is important to note that voting is just the first step. The political involvement of UConn students should not begin or end at the ballot box. USG has specific abilities as a governing body for UConn students that they should be aware of and steer in a direction that best represents them, but it’s also worth understanding that it can only do so much. A vote for an elected official within this body will not change the key conditions students face, no matter who that person may be. USG is meant to support efforts to affect policies on campus – student advocacy goes beyond the programs and institutions that it offers.  

That being said, the power of the vote is not just represented in a ballot cast. In any elected government that features the virtues of democracy, each vote brings their operations more legitimacy. This is precisely why elections with high turnout are often praised as upholding the ideals of democratic institutions, while elections with lower turnout have doubt cast upon them – if people don’t vote, it raises questions as to whether the election was in fact representative of the relevant population.  

A core principle of founding US political philosophy states that the people have ultimate control over the government. Thomas Jefferson, writer of the Declaration of Independence, wrote in 1794 that “the influence over government must be shared among all the people.”  The smaller the share of those who do vote in elections, the less those who decided not to are represented, and in turn, the less legitimate a government appears.  

This is a dilemma USG faces every year and one that each vote can help rectify. In last year’s elections, voter turnout did increase 35% – from 2,254 students to 3,053 – resulting in 15% of the student body casting a ballot. Out of roughly 20,000 students, this number is an improvement but not close enough to true representation. The Editorial Board believes that while USG can always take steps to increase turnout on their own, part of the burden also falls on students to educate themselves and understand the meaning behind student government. More students will need to find their voice and vote, giving themselves and USG more power and legitimacy at the same time.