At the moment there are a lot of elections at CWNU. Do you know about them and have you ever voted in them? We conducted a survey of 400 students to answer these questions to discover why the participation rate in school elections is low.

The first question was ‘If you didn’t vote, why not?’

Some students said they voted in all the elections but 126 students (32%) said they didn’t because they don’t have any interest and they think voting is bothersome. It seems that students need to have an interest in elections at school. Also, 118 students (29%) said they didn’t vote because election promises wouldn’t be fulfilled.

The second question was ‘What do you think about the publicity surrounding the election campaigns at school?’ 180 students (45%) said it is good to understand the promises the candidates were making whereas others (27%) said it would be good if they decrease the number of banners in the school. Some students said that too much election campaigning can interfere with their studies. There is no doubt that campaigning makes students aware of the election. However knowing too much is just as bad as knowing too little.

The third question was ‘What should we do to increase voting in the student election?’

Students thought people in CWNU should improve awareness of school elections. The problem was candidates only run the campaigns themselves at school. They don’t tell people of when they are going to hold the election so students who vote online don’t know about the place and date. Also, some students want more candidates than now. A small number of candidates and similar promises make students’ interest level lower.

The last question was ‘What do you want the successful candidate to do?’

188 of 400 students answered they want the elected person to carry out their promises. It seems that they think the winner doesn’t carry out what they say they will during the campaign. 96 students of 400 (24%) said they want the winner to communicate more.

An election is an important for us to choose a person who can improve our school lives. It isn’t just a formal process for students. We need to choose a member who can help us and improve school lives. To do that, we need a high level of participation.

Choi Hyeon-kyeong  -

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