Campaign Season Has Arrived

Campaign+Season+Has+Arrived

Anabelle Sturdivant, Editor-in-Chief

As students begin to wrap-up the school year, many start forming goals for the next one. But as most students know, timing is crucial. For students looking to join Vista’s student government class in the fall, they can’t simply sign up—they need to be elected by their class or interview for a position. To secure a spot in this popular class, many students develop a campaign to prepare early on.

Long gone are the days of putting up a single poster in a quad and asking your friends to support you. With the usage of social media comes a quick-paced nature in which students can easily reach out to their peers.

“Support can be shared in several ways, from wearing a campaign T-shirt, to posting a flyer on social media, to starring in a campaign video. The more students who feel represented by a candidate’s campaign, the more support that the candidate will have on Election Day,” said Cade Sidhu, Vista’s current Associated Student Body President.

In addition, the stakes are higher. While students can still be involved at Vista through clubs and sports, the Student Government class directly allows someone to control the year’s events. These students aren’t running for fun or because of their friend’s influence—they’re running to win.

“Student government’s goal isn’t to be a “resume” builder, but instead to be a way to truly be involved,” said Mady Noguchi, an applicant for the Associated Student Body President position.

While it may seem that posters and a catchy slogan won’t boost your votes, many student government students believe that doing well on election week is pivotal. “The campaigning process is so crucial because it’s Vista’s perception on what kind of officer you will be,” said Nick Wall, an applicant for the Senior Class President position. “Student Government is an amazing opportunity to become involved and help bring our campus together, and our campaigns are our very first step. Creating an effective campaign is important because it sets the tone for the rest of the year,” said Noguchi.

“In my opinion, campaigning is the most crucial part of election week. It is always fun to see how creative the candidates can be with their campaign themes, and seeing their hard work (hopefully) pay off. I can’t wait to see what we have in store this year!” said Sidhu.

Often, many people who run for positions have prior experience in the class or are involved in other spirited activities such as Bleed Blue Crew or Spirit Squad. While it may seem intimidating to run against experienced students, newcomers shouldn’t be weary of this opportunity. “I feel like newcomers have the best ideas because they are fresh,” said Wall.

Election week takes place on April 8 through 12. The election fair is on April 10th during A and B lunch. April 11th is the election day.