Students’ diminishing interest in Student Government Association is ultimately harming senators’ political standing.

According to the Student Government constitution’s by-laws and appendices, when there are not enough student-representative candidates to necessitate an election open to the student body, only Student Government Association members may vote.

If there are fewer than the required 27 to 28 candidates needed to have an election that is open to the student body, it is guaranteed that all candidates will be voted in. In the end, these candidates are all getting seats automatically, making an election pointless to determine winners.

However, there are upsides to holding an election even when it’s a done deal as to who will win.

An election with too few candidates makes student voters aware of the lack of participation in Student Government Association,   informs students who will be their representatives and creates an additional opportunity for the few students who applied to be senators.

Because Student Government Association elections can be heldfff online, the voting results could be statistically analyzed. Student Government members can then look at the voting results to see which candidates received the most votes, suggesting which candidates have the most political standing or representative power.

Even if someone is running for a Student Government Association position unopposed, this analysis can still be beneficial, quantifying how much student support a senator has.

Conclusions can then be drawn to determine which candidates should be placed on which committees; candidates with more votes may arguably be best matched with the more important committees.

The Student Government Association should always hold elections that are open to the student body.

Even if meager student-participation is anticipated, shouldn’t the votes of even a few students still matter?

As a political organization, the Student Government Association has a duty to exercise democracy in every opportunity; this principle should be at its heart.

Democracy, however limited, is still democracy and should be practiced by the Student Government Association, by and for students.