SENIOR ELECTIONS

The conduct of Senior elections in the past few years has not been satisfactory. The chief complaint is that too few vote. In the 1933 balloting, for example, 400 voted in the first election, and only 353 out of a class of 650, in the second.

In addition, incidentally, the 1933 elections exhibited an unusual irregularity. Of its 353 voters who balloted for secretary, each was entitled to indicate five choices for Album Committee, which should give a total of 1765 votes. The actual total was 1516; the 249 votes were thrown away partly by Seniors who could not honestly say they knew five men from the list of candidates for the Album Committee, but mostly by an organized and interested group who, it insure the election of a number of candidates, specified on a typewritten "ticket" which was circulated, voted for them and for them only. The Permanent Class Committee total was 117 votes shy. The stratagem of voting for only a few chosen candidates, is distinctly contrary to the spirit of the elections; it is not contrary to the present regular ions, for the reason that there are name. The remedy here is clear; the Student Council should vote a regulation prescribing that voters must either refrain from balloting for a committee, or must ballot for the full membership.

That, however, is a minor problem compared with that of stirring the electorate out of its apathy. This apathy is easily explained. A class is annoyed. in its Sophomore and Junior years, by being requested to vote for officers who serve no purpose. In its Senior year, it concludes "It's just another election," and takes little interest. The Sophomore and Junior elections should therefore be abolished speedily--a reform land advocated. In addition, voting should be held not only in the class rooms, but in each of the seven houses. And greater publicity should urge a full representation at the polls, in view of the importance of balloting for officials and committees destined to serve their class for its next forty or fifty years.