Over the next two days, the university will make one of its biggest decisions of the year: who to put in charge of our student body.
Surely, many of us are aware of the intense campaigning that has occurred over the past few weeks — all of the signs, scandals and stories have been hard to miss. Those of us who have been keeping tabs on the election process know that this is a big deal.
But unfortunately, not everyone has been keeping up with the election, and if you’re one of the politically uninterested, we have a request for you: Jump in and vote because Student Government matters. If you’re not convinced, here’s why.
The SG leaders are your voice. All of your complaints, concerns and hopes for the university are wrapped up and placed into the hands of a few key people, and who you entrust this burden to is an important decision. SG has the power to decide how your fees are spent. It has the power to make the changes you want to see in the university and it has a huge responsibility — the responsibility of representing all 30,000 of us here on campus.
But we have a responsibility, too, and that is to make sure we select the right people for the job.
With that being said, here are a couple of things to keep in mind before you cast your vote.
Be informed. Don’t vote based on who’s better looking; don’t randomly click candidates. The Daily Gamecock spent the weekend scrutinizing each candidate’s personality, qualifications and platforms, and we urge you to do the same. Ask yourself who can best serve you and do the most in allotted year. Finally, find the candidate whose policies you identify with more, and remember that the best person may not always make the best leader.
We’ll see you at the polls.