The Quest for Voting Numbers and Shared Governance

The past few weeks have been jam-packed with Student Government Association (SGA) elections and campaigns. Last year, there were a record number of students running for various positions. While the number of candidates this year were significantly less, I expected the voting numbers to parallel last year’s and hoped we would far surpass it. The number of ballots cast this year are approximately equal to the number last year. Unfortunately, when the voters for each election primarily consist of each candidates’ friends and amount to less than 65% of each class year, it is hard for SGA to convince the administration and the Board of Trustees that shared governance is important for us.

The Class Council Elections this year were fairly competitive. This situation made voter turnout even more critical than it normally is but the number of ballots cast were less than ideal. There were at least two candidates running for most positions. Many elections were especially close, differing only by a few votes. For instance, both the 2022 President Election and the 2024 Honor Council Election were extremely close. Every vote mattered for those races. A larger voter turnout could have made those races more definitive. 

Summary of Total Voter Turnouts*: 

*As we do not have the total number of eligible voters for AY 2020-21, this table contains the total number of ballots cast instead of the percentage. Both years, we were below the 70% mark. 

Reflecting on last year’s SGA elections, I realized how important voting numbers can be at a small liberal arts school like Connecticut College. Some elections can be decided by a mere margin of five votes. Hence, I wanted to increase voter turnout during my time as the SGA Chief of Communications. One of the most important aspects of my role is to ensure that elections run smoothly and fairly. My job involves setting up elections, asking for nominations, and working closely with the Office of Student Engagement to ensure that there are no malfunctions when voting opens. To ensure fairness, during the SGA Executive Board Elections 2021-22, I had my administrative access to elections revoked as I was running for a position. But I was responsible for setting up and running the SGA Class Council elections for the upcoming academic year. 

When voting opened on April 22 and I saw low ballot numbers, with advice from both the current SGA President (Daniel Varela ‘22) and Vice-President (Kayla Glemaud ‘21), I designed an Instagram giveaway campaign. In this initiative, students who voted and posted about voting on their Instagrams could be chosen for a $5 dollar voucher for the Coffee Closet. Unfortunately, only one person availed this option and ballot numbers merely increased by approximately 60 ballots each class year. On the last day of elections, the SGA President and the current Class of 2024 Class Council offered free food at their upcoming class event in exchange for a minimum 40% voter turnout. In spite of what I unofficially dubbed as “The Grand Bribing Scheme,” overall voter turnout for the Class Council Elections disappointed me. 

Looking at the voting numbers, I have failed to keep my campaign promise of getting a voter turnout of at least 80% for each class year. I do not know what else I could have done on a personal level to engage more student voters. I believe the primary reason I failed was the overall waning of interest in the idea of shared governance. At a time when student burnout is at an all time high and our concerns are going largely unheard, I understand why many Camels are not keen on this elusive concept of shared governance. However, the pandemic has shown that there are significant limits on what shared governance can achieve when one is a student. While we are the largest stakeholders here, a tuition-driven institute like Conn is primarily concerned with the bottom line. Hence, despite Conn being a tight-knit community, many people feel their vote won’t make a difference. Why? Because a singular SGA Executive Board or Class Council cannot change the institutional barriers that we face daily and everyone knows that. 

But that doesn’t mean shared governance is completely pointless. 

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, shared governance took a backseat this year. As the incoming SGA President, I intend to change that as we try to have a more “normal” 2021-2022 academic year. I will bring back the Committee on Shared Governance and reinstate monthly meetings between President Bergeron, the SGA President, and Vice-President. Most importantly, I plan on using SGA as Conn’s primary body of accountability. This will manifest itself in various ways. From passing resolutions that demand the REAL office reassess their practices to utilizing the Board of Trustees as a means to keep senior administrators accountable, SGA will strive to ensure that at the very least, the administration has a plan to address our concerns. 

To get a headstart, I have a meeting with President Bergeron on May 5 to ensure she knows SGA expects shared governance to be a priority for next year. While I think I get along well with the administration, they know my priorities and loyalties lie with my fellow students. Hence, my focus for next year is amplifying the student voice as we begin to veer towards normal and decide for ourselves how we can approach shared governance.