I have had numerous signs and slogans lecture me on voting. I need to make my voice heard, make a difference, blah, blah, blah. Some have implored me that I am needed. Even my beloved "D" told me that I should vote in support of the Student Assembly. It is my responsibility to vote, or at least that's what I am told. Many of the candidates for Assembly and other offices seem to have latched onto this theme. I see variations of it plastered all over bulletin boards around campus.
Don't misunderstand what I say. I value voting, and I vote in public elections. Not just the national ones, either. I even vote in those little town elections. I just mailed off my ballot for the latest one in our town. Most of the slots were uncontested, but I still felt that our cemetery commissioner was doing a good job, so I wanted to let him know.
Despite this, I do not believe that voting for the sake of voting is a good thing. To vote when you know nothing of the differences between candidates, or see none there, is far more irresponsible than to not vote at all. Though our voter turnout may be low, we know that everyone who is voting is at the least interested and somewhat informed.
Now, applying this to the Assembly elections, I found that there was no discernible difference between the candidates. Even where differences did surface, it was mainly in means, not in ends. All the candidates had good ideas that seemed about the same. If they can institute them, more power to them, but I don't think it makes a difference which one does the job.
Beyond the fact that it doesn't matter who ends up getting elected, I also don't believe that who is in Assembly matters all that much. They are all very active concerned students, and it seems from my perspective that one is just as good as another. The group seems to have the sole purpose of representing student opinion. It lacks any real power. With such a purpose, it will naturally attract those candidates who are best for the position, those who really care about student opinion and will do their best to represent it. I'm sure these three are no different. So why should I vote for one of the candidates over the others when they have the same basic opinions? The only reason I can think of is that I might be friends with one of them and think that they will do a particularly good job. The fact is that I know none of them, and have no idea what they are like.
So finding myself in this position of ignorance and indifference, I decided not to vote. And you know what? It won't matter. Though I would have voted if I had had an opinion, it honestly wouldn't have made one bit of difference in the outcome. That's a sobering thought. Voting is a valuable right to the whole, but it actually makes little difference to the individual. It's not as if the Assembly elections would have turned on my ballot. I would have voted despite this depressing aspect of the system, but I didn't see any real choice before me.
I am certain that whoever is elected will do a fine job next year, and I hope that SA meets with many successes. But this vote is not a referendum on the Assembly. It is not about proving how active Dartmouth students are. It is about choosing between three candidates for a position, and I honestly don't think it matters which of the identical platforms we end up with.
