Student Council, a staple in our high school lives. From the most elaborate spirit weeks to the highly fantasized prom, StuCo does it all.  They do it well too, they put in hours of hard work just to make our time here a bit more fun, something we could all use. One thought seemed to always cross my mind: elections.

In this modern-day, elections are a heated topic. So, why don’t we ever hear about elections at Sahuaro? How come we never hear about what candidates have to say? In the Constitution of Sahuaro High School Student Body, in the Bylaws section, under Article One, Section 6, it states: “Speeches shall be held before the Student Body and Class General Elections.” In 4 years at Sahuaro, I personally have never heard a speech addressing the student body. Never.

This should bother you. Right now, elections as senior, Lailaa McClendon, says are mostly based on “name recognition,” and “how many friends they [the candidates] have.” Sahuaro Student Council elections are a popularity contest. We, the student body, know nothing about what a potential candidate brings to the table. This is unfair, we the Student Body, have no clue who we’re electing. There also needs to be a revision for who actually counts votes. In the constitution, under both sections about elections, there has been no process explicitly stating who counts our votes.

My elementary school had a more complex voting system than this. By not having a certain process or policy on this, it can lead to blatant voting fraud. There are some very cool things in the constitution though, stating candidates can’t receive gifts. A stark contrast of the super PACS, in today’s politics.