Thinking Outside the Ballot Box

After waiting in the line at the table outside of Bardwell Hall on Monday, Junior Chris Hartwell votes for his AS candidates in this year's campaign.

Kelsey Heng

It is time once again for the annual AS elections. This year, the candidates are Ronnie Toth, Eric Weaver, Daniel Chacon, Emily Johnson, and Mike Huckabee. Just kidding, although not only would Chuck Norris make a great AS vice president, but somebody should really get Huckabee here to speak at Chapel. But until we get any former governors applying for the job, we’re pretty much stuck with students.

What makes this problem even worse is that almost all of the voters are students as well. “How are students going to know how to vote when they can’t even figure out the card readers in the library?” What an excellent question, one which happens to actually be the subject of this article. The political machinations of the Biola University student elections are a subject that can be explained in three words: making the same promises and saying the same things as every other year. Ok so maybe that was seven words, but you get the idea.

Allow me to sum up the candidates platforms; more concerts, racial reconciliation, better spiritual life, and more concerts. Also did I mention the concerts? Social events have been a perennial favorite among candidates in promising change at Biola. And they have come through on their promises. This same form of change has taken place every year on campus as long as I’ve gone to Biola. For instance, the popular Betty Ask Bob event that saw about 50 people participate, and the dozens of concerts that have been promised and delivered but not remembered over the years.

That doesn’t mean that actual change hasn’t taken place as a result of AS elections. Last year is a great example. For those of you who weren’t attending Biola or didn’t hear about it, the elections took place over the course of two days, just like this year. However, when two of the candidates are really close, according to the AS constitution they are required to go into a runoff election.

Jared Gibo and Bradley Clarke went into the runoff. Well after a long day of voting and counting the ballots apparently everyone was too tired to read the constitution which stated the just like the regular elections the runoff should take place over two days. That way, those of us who work off campus two or three days a week (myself included) were not permitted to vote in this election. Jared Gibo, who won by two votes, agreed that something needed to be done, so they changed the constitution so that runoff would be one day only.

I propose that we make this year’s election one of change as well. I suggest that if and when we get to a runoff that everyone boycotts the first of the one day election and then votes on the non-existent second day. That way the newly elected president will change the constitution yet again.

Why? Because it’s change.

But promises for change aren’t the only way to determine who to vote for. Many of the candidates have websites up on blogger.com in addition to Facebook groups. Chimes Online even has videos posted of interviews with the candidates as well as portions of this year’s lengthy debate. We could only post part of it because there isn’t enough internet to hold the whole hour and half debate.

There are still many questions left unanswered, questions such as: Are any of the candidates left handed? Nobody wants smudgy signatures because a south-paw president can’t write without dragging his hand through it. Or even more importantly: Who is actually the president and who is vice president, Emily Johnson or Michael Martin? I went to the debate and saw their interview on the Chimes Online and I still don’t know.

Anyways, make sure to vote early and often. Just kidding, but seriously get out and vote. Maybe they’ll change the constitution again so that next year, instead of elections it just goes to the president’s first born son. This could be your last chance to bring more concerts to Biola.