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The 2008 ASUI election was a success in several ways — opinions were voiced, new leadership was established, and voter turnout increased by more than 10 percent since last year. The affair was certainly a success for the Holbrook-Crump camp, as well as the eight new senators. As always, and this year in new ways, there is room for
improvement.
One of the perennial shortcomings in ASUI elections is voter turnout. There are 1,780 students on the University of Idaho campus that deserve a pat on the back for voting. This is a much larger number than in years past, but it still leaves about 7,000 undergraduates who opted not to participate in the election. What success there was on the participation front is due in large part to the efforts of ASUI and the energetic campaigning of Lauren McConnell, Derek Arnold, Garret Holbrook and Tricia Crump.
This campaigning, however, provided a platform for new problems to arise. The Facebook groups in support of both campaigns were host to much more ugliness than has been present in previous elections. The candidates cannot be blamed for this, but many of the comments highlighted the unnecessarily aggressive, sexist and counterproductive stances held by many UI students. Democracy is great, but the legitimacy of the system is called into question when its participants choose personal attacks over legitimate debate.
While the election had more good than bad, it’s worth noting that the majority of the good was caused by the candidates, while the majority of the bad was caused by the student body. ASUI can only be as effective as the people they lead. If students want to improve the UI experience, participation and personal conduct are the first areas to
work on.
— AL
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