Why has voting in University at Albany student government (Student Association) decreased drastically since COVID-19?
By Olivia Sheffer | December 10, 2024 (Writing Contest)
Erin Donnellon, Isabella Blauvelt-Mercado, Olivia Sheffer
RPOS 496Z
Final Research Paper
12/10/24
Why has voting in University at Albany student government (Student Association) decreased drastically since COVID-19?
Introduction
The University at Albany’s student government, Student Association, conducts undergraduate student elections around two to three times per year which allows students to participate by either running for a position or voting for candidates. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, student election participation has decreased substantially and continues to fall despite efforts made by the University to ensure involvement. Currently, 12,203 undergraduate students attend the university. In the Fall 2024 SA General Election, 590 undergraduate students cast their votes for representatives in student government. For UAlbany, that means only 4.8% of students voted for their representatives. However, in the Spring of 2014, nearly 3,000 undergraduate students participated in the SA General Election, or roughly 25% (See Figure 1). Since 2014, SA student participation in elections has dropped by a fifth of what it used to be. This drop is seen in Figure 2 that exhibits a smoothed-out trend using three-year rolling averages. This paper seeks to explain the dramatically low levels of participation seen in UAlbany’s Student Association elections.
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Student Association is UAlbany’s undergraduate student government that “focuses on enhancing the undergraduate experience by funding over 180 student groups and events, including social, cultural, academic, and professional organization” (About Us, n.d.). This is achieved through the mandatory Student Activity Fee, which is included in tuition through a referendum voted on by students every two years. The government encompasses the executive branch, legislative branch, judicial branch, office of the comptroller and the board of finance. Students have the opportunity to vote in the Fall semester and the Spring semester to elect their representatives in these branches. The ballots for these elections are open on the student activity website called MyInvolvement. Because SA creates events that can enhance student experience and governs student organizations’ funds, it is quite shocking that students do not participate in the elections that are made to have a direct impact on them.
To explore our question, we have conducted semi-structured interviews that focus on SA as a whole. By using an interpretivist approach, we have been able to gain a better understanding of and explore the deeper reasoning that determines students’ approach to SA elections. Through 10 interviews of UAlbany undergraduate students, four major themes emerged. The first theme we found was that the makeup of SA is only comprised of political science majors and there is no diverse academic representation. The second was that SA has no tangible impact on a student’s UAlbany experience. The third theme found was that the ballot used through UAlbany’s voting platform, MyInvolvement, was deemed inaccessible and unaesthetic. And finally, the fourth theme was that SA members spent their time arguing on issues that are not related to UAlbany, which created a negative association with the governing body.
Literature Review
While there has been a great amount of research completed on youth voter turnout for national, state and local elections, there has been little done on college government elections. In a study done to gauge voter turnout in undergraduate student elections, the researchers determined that contextual variables like student demographics (gender, full time students, minorities, out of state), institutional characteristics (public vs. private, rural vs. urban, academic competitiveness, admission rates, and students’ socioeconomic status), and electoral rules have the most influence in student voter turnout. It was found that private schools, smaller schools, schools that are difficult to get into, and schools that admit a higher percentage of their applicants are more likely to have higher student voter turnout (Lewis & Rice, 2005). Though UAlbany does admit a higher percentage of their applicants (68%), it is a large, public state school that is moderately easy to get into, which could explain why student participation is so low.
The only student demographic that was significant from the research was the number of full-time students compared to the number of part-time students. Student voter turnout tends to be higher when colleges have a larger number of full-time students than part-time students. This has not occurred at UAlbany. In 2014, 94% of UAlbany undergraduate students were enrolled full-time and only 6% were enrolled part-time (2015 SUNY ALBANY Enrollment Data | NYSED Data Site, n.d.). This percentage has not changed drastically since and currently, 95 % of UAlbany undergraduate students are enrolled for full-time with only 5% of the students enrolled for part-time (2024 SUNY ALBANY Enrollment Data | NYSED Data Site, n.d.). However, the University is seeing its lowest engagement in student elections though there has not been a change in the number of full-time students.
Another important finding from this research is the influence of electoral rules on voter turnout. The researchers found that universities who implement access to an online voting forum have a 4% increase in voter turnout than those who do not (Lewis & Rice, 2005). UAlbany has conducted online voting since 2014 through a platform known as MyInvolvement. This website allows undergraduate students to nominate themselves for upcoming elections and cast their votes for candidates running for different roles in SA. However, this form of voting has had an opposite effect for UAlbany. Since the creation of MyInvolvement in 2014, voting has decreased substantially with multiple students stating that this form of online voting has been inaccessible, confusing, and disorganized.
Methods
To understand the lack of student participation in Student Association elections, we conducted 10 interviews of current undergraduate students at the University at Albany. These interviews averaged about 10 minutes in length and were conducted either in person or via phone call. In finding interviewees, we were conscious of having a diverse group across class year, hometown, field of study, and involvement to best represent the undergraduate population at UAlbany. We did not ask specific questions, rather we aimed to touch on general topics including the interviewee’s background, their knowledge and view of Student Association, and their involvement on campus. We did this by conducting some initial pilot interviews, and then working to find interviewees with different backgrounds than who we had already reached. We also shared an online form with the UAlbany Student Association Senate consisting of two questions: what the respondent’s position is on SA Senate and their majors and minors of study. We did this to gain a better understanding about the true makeup of Student Association.
Themes
In these 10 interviews, we identified 4 major themes. The first theme related to the people involved in SA, with respondents expressing a distaste for the lack of diversity and explaining that SA members do not fully represent the student body. The second theme dealt with how voting occurs using an online ballot through MyInvolvement, where interviewees described the ballot and process as confusing and unaesthetic. Our third theme was that SA has a lack of tangible impact on student experience, students did not feel that their lives were impacted day-to-day by SA efforts. Our fourth and final theme was that SA has a negative reputation and is surrounded by drama, many respondents expressed that they mainly hear about SA when there is a conflict between members or other drama.
These themes are related in that they play off each other to further the lack of participation in SA elections. They show us that students have a negative or apathetic view towards their government, which makes students less inclined to participate, making it difficult for SA to improve. We can observe a similar pattern in other governments at the local, state, and federal levels.
The Make-Up of Student Association
Some of our interviewees questioned who Student Association was made to benefit, expressing that Student Association seemed to be geared towards and consisting of political science students. One individual explained that SA is a student government and a “power trip for poli-sci majors,” explaining that she has a negative view of the organization. Another interviewee shared that she “thought it was a bunch of poli-sci majors having fun and pretending to be senators.” Both of these respondents are not actively involved in Student Association but hold positions on the executive boards of organizations funded through Student Association.
Another interviewee, who is a member of the SA Senate, explained that there is a fair amount of political science students involved in SA, but it is “not exclusively for them.” He went on to explain that most other people he knew in Student Association were from Rockefeller College, which is composed of the Political Science, Public Policy and Administration, and Criminal Justice departments at the University at Albany.
Another member of SA that we interviewed shared that while he joined the organization because he was interested in making a difference, he also participates so he can enhance his resume and gain more experience with a legislative system, which he hopes to work with in the future. This adds to the narrative that SA is “only for political science majors” who are there not because they want to improve the campus, but because they can benefit themselves.
According to a survey sent to the SA Senate, our interviewees’ understanding of the make-up of Student Association were accurate. Of the 11 respondents to the survey, 9 were either majoring or minoring in Political Science or Public Policy and Administration. (See Figure 3).
Figure 3.
After analyzing the interviews and sending the survey to SA, it became apparent that many UAlbany students truly believed that the organization was only meant for political science students who were primarily involved to increase their chances of getting a similar job upon graduation.
Inaccessible Ballots
When interviewing students, a trend appeared that the SA election ballots are disliked due to their inaccessibility. One interviewee said “MyInvolvement sucks.[...] It's like really annoying and you have to log into your student account and stuff and it's like this whole process to even access the ballot.” Another interviewee explained that he thinks the ballot could be improved, but that he understands its layout because he is involved with SA. The SA Election Ballots are on the home page of the student activity website MyInvolvement. To access the ballots, students must log in using their User IDs and password. Students must then go through two-factor authorization. Once the process is finalized, students will then be able to access the ballots. When filling out the ballot, students are required to put down an answer for each available candidate position. Some ballots have some positions, where candidates chose not to run which leads to only having a write-in candidate category. Students cannot proceed with the ballot unless they write in a candidate’s name. This leads to incomplete ballots because students do not know names to put down for the position. For elections when the Student Activity Fee and Constitutional amendments are on the ballot, 10% of the student body must participate to pass referendums. During the last referendum in 2022, out of 12,264 students, 2,018 students participated in the student election. This is 16% of the student body voting for a fee affecting tuition which could be mandatory or voluntary.
Lack of Impact
Many of our interviewees had an understanding of what Student Association is but expressed that there is a lack of tangible impact. Of our 10 interviewees, only one had a genuinely positive view and understanding of SA’s impact, expressing that they “do a lot on campus like the budget for all the clubs and have done a lot of positive bills,” adding that other initiatives were done to help change processes on campus. Another interviewee initially said that SA hardly affected their student experience but continued to discuss SA’s achievements including providing Plan B to students and feminine products in multiple women’s bathrooms throughout campus.
Students involved in organizations such and play roles in executive boards tend to have a higher understanding of the impact SA has on their direct experience. To people on executive board in student groups, they must attend SOL Summit: an educational experience which “aims to provide our student leaders with important updates related to student organization operations [...] and fulfill required compliance regulations (i.e. FLE Exam, Leadership Competencies, and Title IX.” This educates student leaders on the Student Activity Fee and other procedures to efficiently run an organization.
Although SA hosts campus wide events and resources throughout the year such as Five Quad Volunteer Ambulance Service, Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program, Student Legal Services, and the Dippikill Wilderness Retreat, the average student is not familiar with the functions of how the Student Activity Fee pays for services.
Many students interviewed hold positions within SA, but all of these respondents stated that Student Association mostly impacts their student experience because they are directly involved in it. When asked why they wanted to get involved in SA, all of these respondents explained that they knew people already involved before continuing to explain the impact SA has. One of these respondents was able to list numerous contributions Student Association makes annually including the funding of clubs and major events such as Block Party (an event for student organization tabling), and Spring Fest (a concert hosted by UAlbany), but when asked about their impact day-to-day, said the club-level impact was more noticeable. They did emphasize that a lot of work done by Student Association is underappreciated because it goes unnoticed. Another member of SA we interviewed explained that if you are not involved in campus activities, you will not feel an impact. This sentiment was proven true by an interviewee who lives off campus and described themselves as “only on campus for class.” When asked if they felt as though Student Association impacts their experience, they explained, “I know they’re involved with clubs, but that’s like all I really know. I’m assuming I would probably know more if I lived on campus that it would affect me more, but I’m on campus so little it doesn’t really matter.” For students who do not live on campus or are not as active in student organizations, not only is Student Association’s impact not tangible, but it is also seen as not worth getting involved in.
Students unaware of what SA offers to the student body do not feel inclined to participate in student elections because they feel if they vote or not it will not impact their campus experience.
Negative Reputation
The final major theme we found throughout the interviews was the lack of decorum and infighting that SA has been known to have. Many of the interviewees mentioned how the governing body always seemed to be fighting over issues that are unrelated to SA’s mission. One interviewee stated, “I’ve seen a lot of how SA runs and how sometimes dysfunctional they are at their meetings” and later added “When people walk out and slam the door it’s not professional for SA.” Instead of focusing on ways to improve the UAlbany experience or produce positive outcomes, many students believe SA is more concerned with issues that do not pertain to the organization.
This negative perception of SA has been ongoing for many years and has even been written about in multiple Albany Student Press articles. One interviewee even mentioned these articles when asked about her overall view of SA, “I’ve heard that they’ll fight on issues that don’t really relate to the school so it will be more drama-filled and I know there are articles that have been written on it.” The articles written by the student press usually report the “drama” that occurs in SA’s weekly meetings which can be accessed by all students.
One interviewee, who is in SA, even stated that though he has an overall positive view on the organization because of his involvement, there are times when “pettiness” comes into play which can make the work not as fun. Another member of SA stated that even though he believes SA has been an inviting place for him, when he talks to people about the organization, they often feel disappointed that he is a part of it. He states, “SA has a bad reputation and sometimes that bad reputation might’ve been from years past when the Senate body might’ve been not so inviting to new people kind of has taken over the zeitgeist a little bit.”
The drama that students have witnessed or heard about in SA has affected their participation in voting or being a part of the organization. These negative associations have shaped how many students view SA and leads to their lack of involvement in the elections.
Conclusion
Though there were four major themes that emerged as leading to the decline in participation in Student Association elections in recent years, it is obvious that these themes are not disjoint. Each of the reasons found relate to each other, further amplifying the issue at hand. This creates a vicious cycle of limited participation followed by a seemingly subpar Student Association, resulting in a lack of participation. For instance, students having a negative or apathetic view of Student Association, thinking that they are stubborn political science majors who cannot get anything done, may discourage students from making an effort to participate in SA elections. This lack of participation only makes it more difficult for Student Association to make palpable change. An inaccessible ballot also limits students who may want to be involved in Student Association or enact change because it is confusing to complete as well as unaesthetic.
By exploring the factors that are connected to low voter turnout in undergraduate student elections, it could possibly help us understand if there is a connection to youth voter turnout in national, state, or local elections. A study done to explore the relationship between student government involvement and political engagement found that participation in student government leads to a better understanding of the political system and is a good predictor of adult political participation. The researchers also found that voting in school elections positively relates to “feeling prepared to vote as an adult, to being committed to vote when 18, to political knowledge, and to engagement in forms of peaceful activism” (Saha & Print, 2010). This gives us insight to how we can move forward. Enhancing student participation at the undergraduate level can encourage youth voters to get engaged at the political level. To do this we need to create an easier, more accessible ballot for students, encourage various majors to get involved, and professionalize the Student Association so they can truly make positive impacts on UAlbany.
Looking forward, there are viable solutions to resolve the themes found in our research. One suggestion is to have the student election ballots on a different platform. We propose a Microsoft form so students' university emails will be documented. This can be cross examined with eligibility lists, so students will still vote for their designated representatives. When it comes to educating students on what SA does, we suggest in the beginning of the year a mass email goes out to students. This email would entail upcoming events SA is hosting, sharing office hours to encourage students to engage with their representatives and share problems. This is connected to the lack of academic diversity within the representative body.
Once more, if the student body is familiar with how SA functions, they can advertise to different academic departments by reminding students of upcoming elections. They can do this by advertising on departmental listserv email lists to garner attention. Within SA, there are different designations for the forty-two Senator seats for the 2024 academic year. Out of the forty-two seats, nine seats are reserved for academic disciplines which aim “to enhance the educational experience and support the academic success of their peers across different fields of study”. These disciplines are business & management, humanities, law & government, social sciences, and applied sciences. Additional seats can be created so SA can accurately represent the diverse academics within UAlbany. In ensuring decorum is held when SA Senate is taking place, training should be administered. SA Senators are taught Roberts Rules, but before their first meeting they can attend mandatory etiquette training and certify that they will act according to those guidelines. A Senate Chair is present, but Senators should take it upon themselves to act accordingly as their constituents expect a level of professionalism when being represented.
Works Cited
2015 SUNY ALBANY Enrollment Data | NYSED Data Site. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2024, from https://data.nysed.gov/highered-enrollment.php?year=2015&instid=800000055597
2024 SUNY ALBANY Enrollment Data | NYSED Data Site. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2024, from https://data.nysed.gov/highered-enrollment.php?year=2024&instid=800000055597
About Us. (n.d.). Student Association. Retrieved November 7, 2024, from https://www.saualbany.com/about-us
Lewis, K. M., & Rice, T. W. (2005). Voter Turnout in Undergraduate Student Government
Elections. PS, Political Science & Politics, 38(4), 723–729. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096505050201
Saha, L. J., & Print, M. (2010). Student School Elections and Political Engagement: A cradle of
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