The Choice Channel

Many school elections have low participation from students and are dominated by a small political class (sound familiar?); who like this sort of stuff. As a general rule, most students not in that political clique do not vote. It can be a big boost in the prominence/ effectiveness of your club to influence a student body election. This often means turning out only a few dozen voters. At my alma mater of 5,000, the 30 or so votes we mustered for our candidate made the difference in getting her into a run-off. A combination of getting somebody from your club to run and endorsing the candidates who takes your positions is optimal.

Endorsing and Running candidates:

It’s important to consider that the student government is often limited to campus policy in what it can do. It cannot eliminate the FDA or make Sharon and Arafat like each other, although they can pass resolutions encouraging as much. In terms of the substantive area of campus policy the SG can affect, Libertarians may wish to concentrate on: changing campus drug policy, stopping PIRG and other left/right-wing groups from siphoning money from the student budget to their respective organizations, preventing the creation of “One-Armed Slovakian Nationalists Studies Departments” from being set up, making campus cops behave, changing or preventing bad sexual harassment and speech infringing regulations and lobbying the school president or board of Regents (or whatever they are called at your campus) from lobbying for more government pork for the school.

Often candidates you approach about endorsing will not have positions on our issues. Sit down and talk with them, feel them out, talk to the one or two you think will be the best and show them what positions you want them to take on campus policy. Be direct about this. Tell them exactly what you want. Example: We want the campus drug policy to be the same as the campus alcohol policy, which means changing school regulations 1-3 to X. With your e-mail list and maybe a meeting, tell your members and supporters that your clubs leadership has endorsed X or allow feedback from members on who to endorse, or hold a candidate forum. Tell your members and the people on your e-mail list that the easiest thing they can do for campus reform will be to vote for X. Reinforce this through as many ways as is feasible (multiple e-mails, a call on Election Day, flyer under their door). Keep in mind you want to pick a candidate who has a chance to win. Winnable candidates often have sport of and are members of Greek organizations, is going to run an active race and has the ability to put together a big volunteer crew, good speaking skills, etc. A solid voice for your cause as student president can do wonders to effect positive change and get your club more respect.

It is also good to do some legwork for the candidate you endorse to show a good faith commitment. Take a couple hours to put up signs, hand out 1/4 sheets, work Election Day, etc. and keep your candidate informed about what you are doing to boost her candidacy. Run flyers by her that you may be making to endorse her from one particular point of view. If your candidate wins, she will remember your efforts on her behalf and work harder for your issues.

This may also work in local government elections if a lot of the students are registered in the state and can be prodded into going into the polls.

If your candidate wins for president, follow-up with them to make sure your issues remain on her front burner and continue to work with them to ensure it happens. Also, ask them to come speak at a College Libertarian meeting, or introduce a speaker you’ve brought in, be a moderator of a debate, etc. This usually guarantees you press and often times a longer, more prominently placed story than you would have gotten otherwise and lend credibility to your club. (Even if your person isn’t in office, it can’t hurt to ask them anywise; usually they are the types who like to speak at meetings…) Another great device is writing up an editorial for the college president to sign-on to about your issues, then it will definitely appear in the paper with her name and position next to your name and position and maybe a couple other organization reps. you get to sign-on.

I’d like to hear what other students have done to influence or become a member of student government.

Resources: Student Leader magazine www.studentleader.com FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) www.thefire.org