Ready? Let’s say it together, “Thank God election season is over!” All of that free candy has ruined my appetite going into Halloween. But, on a serious note, we have got to fix how campaigning is done for student elections.
You think it’s a normal day on campus, you’re minding your own business and then boom! It hits you or rather they do. Campaigners begging for your vote. Donuts, candy and cookies- they have it all. You could skip out on buying lunch with the amount of food they give out.
I wish it would end there but then your phone starts buzzing. All of your social media is swamped with flyers. People begin directly messaging you asking you to share their flyers. It’s madness. As for the Student-to-Student Facebook page, any questions on that page get buried under all the flyers.
Campaigning like this is bad for several reasons. First, we’re headed into midterms and trying to schedule classes for next semester. I can’t have anybody bothering me as I head to Starbucks to replenish my soul with some coffee. I’m tired, we’re tired, let us be.
The second reason is because of how it makes people feel. For instance, you haven’t spoken to someone in a couple months and the first thing they say to you is “Hey, can you share this flyer?” Well I’ve been doing just fine, thanks for asking. With election season over, are we ever going to hear from these people again? Probably not. You campaigning and taking the time to talk to someone who doesn’t have many friends can brighten their day. It’s going to suck when you don’t greet them as fondly the next time you see them.
I know that there are designated campaign zones around campus, but I also think that having a designated time for campaigning would be helpful, especially for the people campaigning online. I don’t want to be woken up with emailed flyers early in the morning. It would also mean that our questions on groups like Student-to-Student would actually get answered.
You should know what you’re getting yourself into when campaigning. If you’re going to give me donuts for voting for you, I expect some the next time I see you three weeks down the road. If you act friendly toward someone while campaigning, keep it up when you’re done too. Chances are if you continue to be nice to us, we’ll vote for you next time too. Being genuine goes a long way.
Be more aware of what you do while campaigning. Respect people’s privacy and don’t be fake. The candy is good, but the harassment isn’t.