Right now it’s coming to the end of student elections at the University of Adelaide. And as always, it has been… interesting to say the least. Heavyweights Activate and IndyGo were challenged by a newcomer to the scene, Synergy. The international students put forwards a few strong candidates as always, and it has had all the hallmarks of a contestable student election.
That is, if enough students can be bothered going out to vote.
It saddens me a little to see that the vast majority of Adelaide’s thousands of students will spend more time working out how to avoid the polling booth than familiarizing themselves with policies, and voting. Particularly when you think about how all of them are required to vote in state and federal elections. If we have such a lack of interest in politics that directly affect us students, and only us, what are the chances we’ll show interest in far more broad-minded policies. I was a little annoyed (although, unsurprised) to see that the most recent issue of On Dit (Student Magazine) had an article devoted entirely to avoiding harassment from student politicians. Here’s my simple, one-step guide:
1. Make an informed vote.
It’s really that simple. Merely by voting, you can avoid harassment. Moreover, if you encourage your friends to vote, and keep up this voting trend throughout your time as a student, I can guarantee, ‘harassment’ will dwindle. All it takes is 5 – 10 minutes to actually see what the respective tickets have to offer, which doesn’t actually have to involve talking to the candidates, as almost every ticket has a Facebook page outlining their policies.
So, although there are only really 2 days left to vote, if you haven’t done so already, think about what I’ve said, and please act on it.
And if you really don’t want to vote, a simple smile with a “No thank you” should be enough to halt any politicians. There’s no need for all the other bollocks; it is, in a word, just plain rude.
Love, etc
~Coops
1 comment:
While I agree that the best way to avoid being chased down, is simply to vote.
You are definately wrong if you believe that a simple 'no thank you' will deter the campaigners out there.
People would perhaps be more interested in student politics if they were better informed, and if everyone in student politics would give them some space.
The general discontent for this week due to harassment via competing political parties has had an effect akin to that of the recent federal election, no one wants to vote. The difference being of course that it's non-compulsary.
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