Despite traditionally low turnout rates for student elections, the Associated Students of Madison will be holding elections Monday through Wednesday Oct. 19 to 21 for four freshman seats on Student Council and two seats on the Students Services Finance Committee.
Voter turnout among freshmen for Student Council has generally been about 6 to 8 percent, while the turnout for the student body vote for SSFC has been half that at 3 to 4 percent.
“I really hope that more people vote,” freshman candidate for Student Council Maxwell John Love said. “The percentages are so low, which is really sad. It’s an easy timeline and they have it online. People need to use their right.”
The candidates have been utilizing many different forms of personal advertisements as they campaign to get their name recognized among their peers. The most common are Facebook groups, face-to-face communication and posters.
“I have a Facebook group, I’ve been talking to a lot of students — especially about initiatives I’d like to work on,” freshman Student Council candidate Sam Peters said. “I’ve heard posters aren’t as effective, people forget your name. I’m trying to make a lasting impression, mainly face-to-face.”
Secretary Kurt Gosselin said most of the candidates have some form of leadership or experience they are bringing to the election. However, he was not sure if many of the candidates really knew what being elected would really entail.
“Coming into the election, I’m not sure if some of the candidates really know what serving on these committees really means,” Gosselin said. “But generally once they are elected, especially on SSFC, they get really involved and like it a lot.”
ASM’s legislative body, Student Council, is meant to serve as the official student voice for issues affecting University of Wisconsin students, whereas SSFC allocates funds to eligible student organizations during their budget hearings every week.
Freshman candidate Bryan Mette, with his slogan of “Berquam tested, Biddy approved,” said his experience comes from being an intern for a state representative, which gave him a good background in legislation. However, he added he values the experiences of other students more because of his ability to empathize with them because he is a student.
“I guess the key thing would be longevity on the committee and the willingness to be a part of it for a long time, whether or not they are looking for leadership opportunities,” SSFC Chair Brandon Williams said.
The candidates also specified some of the goals they are hoping to achieve if elected, according to the candidate matrix on the ASM website.
“Educating students in their first year means they can stay involved for the next three,” Peters said on the site. “I will do this by aggressively reaching out to freshmen and also updating my Facebook status, so that anybody can stay involved while exerting minimal effort.”
The fall SSFC elections were planned in spring 2009 by ASM to fill the vacant positions left by members who had resigned or graduated.
Click here to see the matrix with all the ASM candidates and their statements.
