This year I think we can all agree that the buzzword has been “election.” But the “elections” do not just pertain to donkeys and elephants. I’m talking Rams. That is, the Rams of the Temple City High School Associated Student Body.
Those of you who have been with us for at least a year will be able to recall the yearly ASB elections. These elections are held to ensure that those in charge of ASB events, the class presidents, secretaries and treasurers, are all elected in a fair and democratic way.
Why is it then, that only students who have been in ASBL for a year or more are eligible to campaign? I believe that any student should be able to run for ASB president, not only students who have already served as ASBL elected officials.
ASB stands for Associated Student Body, and as students we are all members of the associated student body, so every student should have the ability to run.
The argument can be made, that with the requirement of a year in ASBL ,only qualified candidates will be able to be elected. However, I believe that this problem can be addressed by simply requiring campaigning students to participate in a debate.
As is the case with the United States’ Presidential Elections, this debate would test the candidate’s knowledge.
With debates, students will be able to see who is really more qualified to run our student government.
With the current system, not only are new students (juniors in particular) unable to participate in ASBL, but our choices are incredibly limited. With necessary rule changes, we will hopefully never have to experience another ASBL election featuring only one ASB presidential candidate.
The only positions affected by student votes are Student Board Representative, the various class presidents and ASB president. Other positions such as secretary and treasurer are not decided via election. I believe that students should be able to have a say in the election of all ASBL officials.
If the U.S. itself only permitted citizens to elect a president—leaving the rest of the decision making to those already in government—improvements and change would scarcely be made.
It is for these reasons that I would like to propose a few changes to our ASB election system: all-inclusive candidacy, debates, and a ballot including all official positions.
This is not to say that I dislike ASB or the way it runs. I am fiercely proud of my school, and I simply believe that certain improvements can be made to make the TCHS student government even better.