As some of you may know and few may care, this year there are five tickets vying for the presidential and vice presidential posts in the Government of the Student Body.

This year, like the three that directly preceded it, I originally planned to spend Election Day, March 10 and 11, doing anything and everything but voting for any one of them.

It’s not to say I’m apathetic. I participate in national and state elections because I believe my vote is important. Not in itself, heavens no. But if I, and enough people who think a bit like me, make the decision to cast our insignificant vote for the same chap our candidate might just win.

The wonderful and often sad thing about elected officials is that they love to pander to their base. If their base is crazy people like me, we get four years of crazy-person-flavored policies. Good deal!

The rub, as Shakespeare would say, is this – I only vote for two reasons. One, I believe my vote stands a chance of being effective. Two, if my vote is effective, I believe my candidate will accomplish things I agree with.

Almost any candidate satisfies criterion one. Outside of GSB members themselves, participation in GSB elections isn’t gaining the praise of any democracy watch groups. Thus my vote, as opposed to a ballot cast in a national election or the finale of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” constitutes an appreciable chunk of the electorate.

The problem is criterion two. I don’t believe a vote for any of the tickets will result in any appreciable change of policy or noticeable effect of any kind.

I say this not with any particular malice toward the entrenched veterans of the GSB, but with the realization that this is the system we have inherited. We have a student government which is just as disenfranchised from its electorate as it is seemingly powerless to make itself relevant to it – no constituents, no power.

Students like me make a logical decision each year to ignore what we perceive as a powerless organization, thereby ensuring that it remains more or less powerless.

I appreciate the things the GSB does – funding the Student Union Board, clubs and other activities, trying to represent students in the City Council, putting on Political Action Week – but I would love to see more. What could they do with the moral support of 10,000 voting students, less than half of the student body?

Someone has to attempt to break the cycle and the nearest opportunity is to us, the students. Just remember, voting is like telling the university that if fees go up or services are reduced we won’t be quiet about it. The beautiful part is we only have to do it once a year.

If we are enough of a headache once a year and the GSB complains hard enough on our behalf the rest of the year we might just get our way on a few things.

So, this year why not go against your better judgment and cast a vote in campus elections – it doesn’t really matter who for, – and help give our well-intentioned student government some teeth.

By quitting our whining and voting we tell the university we’re paying attention and we put the ball in the GSB’s court. If they fail to catch it, there will be little room for excuses.

– Kevin Stillman is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Emmetsburg.