ASB cabinet elections at FHS are designed to give the student body a voice. In theory, they practice democracy by allowing the student body to pick candidates that represent them best. But in reality, FHS elections actually only come down to one thing: popularity. This begs the question: Is a popularity contest really the best way to decide leadership roles within FHS?
If the election process allows for unqualified candidates to be placed in positions of leadership just because they happen to be popular, then it should be changed. While voting, the FHS student body could favor one candidate simply because they handed out more candy than the others, which ignores qualified candidates. The voting system currently being used at FHS is basic; vote for your top four candidates, and at the end, the four candidates with the most votes win. On the surface, this system may seem the most fair — since every student is given a voice and all the candidates are allowed (in theory) equal opportunities to campaign. But this system does not ensure that the voters are completely aware of all the expected responsibilities of the elected candidates. Yet, when a capable but lesser-known candidate runs against a well-known and liked peer, the outcome is predictable.
“[Popularity is] not a bad thing,” sophomore Livia Isaksson said. “If you are more popular and your name is more known, then you’re obviously going to get more votes. But it shouldn’t be primarily focused on popularity. It should also just be focused on what they’re [candidates] going to do.”
Isaksson’s comment highlights a common point in arguments against popularity-based elections. Popularity is not inherently a negative thing. Students may be more popular because of their approachability, charisma and communication skills, which are all valuable in leadership. FHS senior and ASB cabinet member Ryan Wong explains how the people he met through his extracurricular activities assisted him with his win.
“Being able to count on people to spread my message, like people that I’ve played volleyball with, or people that were in debate, being able to have a lot of people that you can count on, and people that you know will back you up makes campaigning 100% easier,” Wong said.
Despite the candidates’ campaigns, students who vote might not take the candidates’ plans for the school into consideration. Voters might ignore a candidate’s qualifications and merits in favor of the candidate with the catchiest slogan, which does not fully encapsulate the candidate’s plans. In order to fairly elect a leader, it is crucial to think of what the next best option would be. The most popular opinion is an interview-based selection. This process is already successful in the freshmen class cabinet selection process. Four freshmen are elected through an interview process, with the class advisors, leadership teacher and members from ASB cabinet. This process allows advisors to evaluate candidates based on their responses to questions, and they are able to assess their leadership ability. But is the freshman cabinet actually any more or less effective than any other class cabinets?
“In terms of performance, it doesn’t seem to be all that different from cabs that are selected through an interview process versus those that are selected through an open election,” FHS ASB advisor and history teacher Jeff Kakes said.
Despite the apparent lack of differing performance within the cabs that are formed through the open election versus the interview process, there is still the issue of those who run for cabinet without any desire to make an impact on the school. A different election process would avoid electing someone who does not want all the responsibilities that come along with being an ASB cabinet member. Another concern is that some students may not be fully aware of what the ASB class and cabinets actually do, which results in voters making a less practical choice during the elections.
“Class cab elections make sense, but ASB cab is a little rigged, because a lot of the people on campus don’t even know what ASB does, really,” an anonymous member of the ASB class said. “And I’m not saying that the members in ASB [cabinet] don’t do [work] because they do, but there are people who are more deserving of that position of leadership than others.”
The current system allows for the most student body input, with limited restrictions from those in administration.
“We also want to respect the students’ voice, and the more that we have people who aren’t students involved in the process, that’s making [the election process] more their decision, rather than student decision,” Kakes said. “The good thing is letting students be able to choose who they want to represent them.”
If the current system is the best and most effective way to make sure the voices of the student body are heard without censorship, how can it ensure that the only people who make it onto cabinet are those who want to help improve our campus atmosphere? The truth is, it can not, which is a part of what makes it a flawed system.
“Yes, it is based on popularity, that doesn’t mean popularity is unqualified,” Kakes said.
Kakes makes a fair statement. Popularity and qualification are not mutually exclusive. A popular student can be just as hardworking and committed as anyone else. However, the system relies on the hope that the elected candidates are the best possible ones, which may not always be the case.
In the end, the class cabinet and ASB cabinet positions are more than just titles and boosts for college resumes. These positions carry responsibility for representing the student body and maintaining school culture. The people who fill these roles have the ability to affect the entire student body. As a result, the selection process should be focused on identifying students who are prepared and adequate in performance, not those who simply know the most people. If FHS wants its student government to be a reflection of dedication and hard work rather than recognition, it might be time to consider how the class cab members are selected.
