The Importance of Barnard’s Votes

Illustration by Erica Lee

Women gained the right to vote in America in 1920—a year after those in many other countries in the global community. According to Kristi Andersen’s After Suffrage, after this tremendous win, there was an exponential increase in women participating in all levels of government, from state legislatures to county courts. By 1933, there was a 223 percent increase in the number of women running for elected positions since 1920. Women were not only unafraid to run against their male counterparts in the 1930s, but they were even defeating male incumbents in local legislatures.

As Barnard women, we must not accept the notion that we have no stake in government. We cannot maintain the defeatist attitude, which says that no matter who is elected, no change will be affected. Whether we are voting in our campus student government elections or upcoming national elections, we need to be taking a proactive and passionate role in government.

Like our predecessors, we ought to take advantage of the opportunity we are given to have a voice in our government. But this is not the case. Unfortunately, in a country where individuals are granted the right to vote, we neglect to actively participate in all levels of government, including the campus level. The voter turnout at Barnard’s elections last week was roughly 34 percent, while the census shows a national figure for women our age (18-24) is about 45 percent. It is incongruous that women in other countries like Saudi Arabia were not able to vote until recently, while in the United States, a country that has welcomed women to the polls for almost a century, more than half the number of potential female voters choose not to exercise their right to vote. Still, in the 21st century, women in parts of the world are not recognized as functional political agents. Why, as students who have elected to pursue an education in an all-women’s institution where male opposition is absent, are we still following instead of leading?

In Barnard elections, 20 percent of available elected positions in the Student Government Association had no candidates running. Many positions were uncontested this year. It would be unthinkable for our national elections to have unchallenged positions, so why is it acceptable for the president of our own SGA to run unopposed? Current SGA vice president Sarah Besnoff offered her perspective on this dichotomy, saying, “We have had extremely competitive appointment processes in the past year. There have been upwards of four people applying for the available positions for representative council. It is clear from these numbers that there is a definite interest in student government, but it is interesting to note that for one position, on average, we would receive more applications for appointments rather than for candidates running in elections.”

As a community, we are doing a disservice to ourselves by not running for student government positions, and by not voting in the elections. We are tossing away both our right and responsibility to vote. The staggering amount of available SGA positions at Barnard does not reflect the empowering mission of the college. Is it apathy or a larger issue in the way that women participate in elections that is preventing students from being involved in this year’s elections? Or does the blame go to the current SGA for poor advertising? After leafing through the dozen e-mails sent out by the current SGA, as well as the fliers and stickers that have been distributed, it seems as if it wasn’t a matter of publication, but rather that the women of this college simply did not care to vote.

When the status quo is not questioned, change is not achieved. Without healthy discourse, mediocrity increases. Unless Barnard women engage in contentious conversations and difficult dialogues, we remain a stagnant community that fails to evolve. We must determine whether our practices fully reflect our values.

Bethanie Mangigian is a Barnard College first-year. Sherlana Moody is a Barnard College sophomore. They both serve as SGA communication specialists.