It seems that no matter where you turn this time of year, the air is thick with political aspiration.  You are flooded with political debate news on TV, and pass a multitude of campaign materials everywhere you go.  This political shift is also readily apparent on college campuses.  In addition to being a natural catalyst for “official” political activity and campaigning, student government election season is just around the corner.

As a former SGA President myself, this time of year holds a special significance for me.  Student debates are popping up all over the quad alongside homemade candidate publicity materials, as a healthy sense of competition floods the campus culture…it’s enough to make my little student affairs heart go “pitter pat”.

In my position as an Involvement Consultant at Campus Labs, I get to consult with campuses all over the country on student government election best practices.  One question that seems to come up again and again is whether or not to allow write-in candidates.  To be frank, there seems to be pros and cons to both scenarios.

Write-in campaigns allow for grassroots initiatives, giving students the ability to vote for candidates who may be too humble to consider themselves true contenders.  Unfortunately, it also allows for those students who miss important deadlines, such as submitting a declaration of candidacy or attend election rules meetings, to still participate in your election.  Significant political figures such as FDR, Eisenhower, and Nixon ascended to political success with the help of write-in campaigns.  On your campus, however, your write-in field on the ballot may be more likely to yield results like “Daffy Duck” or “Justin Bieber”.  So, I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments! To write-in, or not to write-in, that is the question…