False positives

Save for the numerous fliers littered around Grounds and the colorful invasion of our sidewalks, student election week was no different than any other at the University for the average student. According to the University Board of Elections, overall voter turnout this year was 38%, the second-highest rate since the recordkeeping began in 2004. This may be an encouraging sign for those who champion student self-governance and civic involvement at the University, but unfortunately for them, honor is another highly esteemed tradition at Virginia’s flagship university; this year’s spike in voter turnout was due to a controversial honor referendum instead of an increased enthusiasm for student government.
If the voter turnout data were placed on a graph, this year’s value would be considered an outlier. The highest rate was in 2004, when the UBE began tracking voting behavior. Turnout dropped all the way to 22% last year, only to increase more than 50% this year. A boost of that magnitude can only be attributed to a major influence on a student’s desire to vote. Obviously, voting has been encouraged, but no major campaigns were implemented within the last year with the goal of improving voter turnout. In fact, the only significant difference that I know of between this year and last was the touchy honor proposal to eliminate the single sanction. Since such a large percentage of students (70%) voted against this referendum, it is possible that many students decided to vote this year with the sole intention of knocking down the new honor proposal. Some point to the improvement among first-years, but this jump in turnout is not unique to our University’s youngest members. UBE statistics show that the turnout rates among first-, second-, and third-year students were all within ten percent of each other. The number of fourth-years that vote will always be lower since very few of their classmates are on the ballot. Those about to graduate are probably more concerned with finding a job than who the next Student Council representative from their college will be.
However, the traditionally low turnout rate is not a reflection of student self-governance at the University. Student leadership councils are important, and all efforts should be made to encourage people to get involved with these organizations, even if that involvement is something as little as volunteering to campaign. But the hundreds of other student organizations at the school, many of which support themselves financially, are the purest form of self-governance. The campaign volunteers in November are the ones that are truly civically involved. The volunteers who bother students all day for the sake of charity are the real public servants. Students at the University can contribute to self-governance with much more than just a vote.