Students will be electing their new set of representatives on March 29. This is a great opportunity for us to mold the future of N.C. State. Student Body Elections are a very important event at N.C. State University; we need to act assertively and vote responsibly. This is our chance to shape our future by electing the right candidates, and we need to participate in making it a success. 

  According to the student government website, 5,717 completed ballots were cast from a pool of 31,872 students who were eligible to vote. This figure is less than 19 percent of the total student community at N.C. State. The reason for such a low turnout is due to the fact that these elections are not advertised effectively. Students don’t know about the elections and the impacts they have on our lives. On the other hand, few students who are aware of these elections and chose not to vote discard the event as unimportant.    We need to realize that these events have the potential to have a tremendous impact on our community. If we choose the candidates that are not right for our representation, we will jeopardize our future and the future of prospective students. In these tough economic times, when budget cuts are looming over N.C. State, this Student Body Election is of extreme importance. The next set of representatives will have the potential to work with administration to pull N.C. State through the budget crisis.    The candidates we elect on March 29 will be representatives of a student community, a community more than 33,000 strong. Student Government needs to take responsibility of making every student aware of the elections. More publicity to these elections by Student Government and University administration will help in increasing the voting percentage. The students who don’t understand the importance of these elections need to realize that if they choose not to vote, they will have no right to judge the new representatives. Those that do choose to vote need to do so not based on campaigning signs, but rather the facts.   Students need to gather information before they decide to vote for a candidate. There are plenty of resources available for students willing to look up their representatives. Each candidate has a website; they can email their candidates or find information using Student Government’s website.   By gathering information about candidates, they can identify with candidates and their platforms. This will help the student body choose candidates that identify with their own concerns.    The elections put a great amount of responsibility on each student at N.C. State. The responsibility is to choose the vision for the future of our University. The election is not a futile exercise and we need to consider its purpose. It gives each individual student a chance to elect their representation in the student government, a purpose to look forward to, an ideology to vote for and a candidate to select.     All students that don’t vote are indirectly supporting ideologies and candidates that are opposite to their views and thoughts. The moment we choose not to vote, we give a chance to a person whom we never wanted to represent us. This is our chance to participate in the elections and make a difference by choosing the right candidates who are aware of their duties and responsibilities. We need to vote for our future and vote responsibly and make these elections a success, not for the benefit of the candidates but for the benefit of the student body.