For those tasked with representing the masses in a democracy, valuing their connection and working to improve communication with constituents should be a significant focus. After all, the sole job of an elected official in a democracy should be to serve those who the official represents.

However, during the election cycle in Student Government each year, there is one glaring aspect that shows the government does not put its connection to constituents first — the simple time of the announcement of election winners.

Traditionally, Student Government announces the winners of both executive seats as well as Senate positions on a Friday night, two days after voting wraps up. This year, students will not know their Senate representatives — in the Senate and as president and vice president — until 7 p.m. Friday. The announcement will be made at room number 3512 in the Memorial Union and is open to the public.

The weekend night announcement is not the ideal way to reach ISU students for a number of reasons. Student Government’s constituents are not easy to connect with during this time — both because student publications cannot easily reach students and because students are often not focused on important, serious issues during a weekend night. Also, waiting so long to announce results does not show Student Government put an effort on transparency for its students.

The Iowa State Daily does not publish a newspaper on Saturdays because many people are not on campus during this time period. While the the names of election winners and reactions will be immediately published on social media and The Daily’s website, the thousands of people who pick up and depend on the newspaper each day will not receive the information on the elections until three days later.

ISUtv, another student media organization that could cover Student Government elections, only produces newscasts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If Student Government wants its constituents to be informed about who will represent them, why wouldn’t it adjust its election schedules to times when students could consume news coverage of the event?

Students also do not often attend classes or pay attention to the news or important issues on Friday nights. Presumably, if students are finished for the week, they will likely not be connected to student news organizations on social media or their websites because they are taking time off, working on homework or busy with other weekend activities.

Lastly, the large amount of time between the end of the election and the announcement, almost a full two days, does not show students transparency in the government. If Student Government wants to show it is open and accessible to ISU students, it should make an effort to produce the results much more quickly.

Next year, Student Government should make every effort to adjust the election schedule to announce the winners in a timely fashion and at a point in time that is more convenient to students, and student media can better spread the information.