Monday, May 11, 1998
Elections marred by contentious factions
ANALYSIS: Voter apathy balanced by impassioned outbursts between
slates
By Hannah Miller
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
This year’s USAC elections might have been the most lifeless in
years, if it weren’t for the near-fistfights.
The presidential debate was rained out. No candidates handed out
their own literature. Sandwich boards were nowhere to be found. And
the only significant competition facing the former Students First!
political powerhouse was so convinced of USAC’s worthlessness that
it advocated cutting its budget in half. The electorate reflected
the candidates’ apathy, showing the lowest voter turnout since 1973
– when the undergraduate population numbered 3,800 fewer
students.
Still, that didn’t prevent Praxis and former Access coalition
members from shouting racially-charged insults at each other at the
candidate orientation last month. Nor did this apathy prevent the
election-night crowds gathered outside Kerckhoff Hall from almost
erupting in a fight, with the Praxis crowd bellowing ‘Nazis!’ at
the Sanity ’98 group, and Sanity supporters wrapping themselves in
a giant American flag.
For the 20,649 students who didn’t vote, though, the elections
simply didn’t exist.
The apathy can be chalked up to several factors. For one, the
number of candidates was significantly smaller than last year’s.
Although the Elections board ran 14 ads in the Daily Bruin calling
for candidate applications, no one was running for two offices by
the deadline.
Candidates spent less money this year on the elections. Although
the maximum spending limit is $400 per candidate, most Praxis
candidates spent $238. Sanity ’98 candidates spent even less, most
to the tune of $13 per race.
Candidates also spent less time meeting and greeting. "People
would tell me, ‘I’ll vote for you because I haven’t been approached
by anyone else,’" said next year’s External Vice President Liz
Geyer. "People working on the Praxis slate thought we would win
anyway … a lot of people didn’t know about either of the
slates."
Election board chair Anthony Brockington says that voters may
have been turned off by the charges of election fraud made by
Finance Committee Chair Robert Rhoan. When Rhoan resigned in
January, he charged that Students First! candidates had
underreported on their campaign expenses and made illegal phone
calls from student government offices.
It is this kind of bad publicity which turned students off,
Borckington says, as well as lack of voter knowledge of the actual
duties performed by student government.
"People never really do their research," he said. "But student
government has really done a lot of good programs."
Indeed, the mantra chanted by all Praxis opponents was
‘what-have-you-done-for-The-People-lately.’ It touches on the
inability of Students First!/Praxis to convince many students that
it has done anything for them, despite their publicizing of
affirmative action protests, cultural and educational programs, and
the Speak Out! forums.
Praxis was also hurt this year, in votes and in candidates, by
the withdrawal of Movimiento Estundiantil Chicana/o de Aztlan
(MEChA), one of the coalition’s largest and most mobilized
groups.
But as there exists no Greek-led slate – historically the most
powerful opposition to Students First! – there were no possible
challengers that could take advantage of these weaknesses. The
now-defunct Access coalition, which surfaced last year as the
alternative, is mostly made up of graduating seniors.
Although the casual voters have dropped out of USAC politics,
those that remain are a spirited, impassioned group.
Every election night, a crowd of candidates and supporters
gathers outside Kerckhoff to hear the results, announced around
midnight. But this year, the usual cheering was marred by
confrontations between the parties. Halfway though the night,
Sanity ’98 produced two huge American flags, began to sing "God
Bless America," and wrapped themselves in the flag. Praxis members
took this as tantamount to calling them un-American.
"I was shocked," said Geyer of the night’s events. "I do not
understand them pulling out the flag. What I felt that night was
hate."
Praxis members then responded by shouting back at the Sanity
crowd, calling them "Nazis."
"They’re only thinking in terms of race and race-exclusion.
There are people who put race above all," said Daniel Rego, the
Sanity ’98 candidate who lost to Geyer for external vice president.
"It’s the same thing as the Nazis did."
Where does all of this leave USAC, now dominated by Praxis? The
young slate seems to recognize the damage already caused by
infighting amongst its members. One of the professed principles of
Praxis is "love," and in order to hold its coalition together, it
may have to put its money where its mouth is.
With reports from Dennis Lim and Mason Stockstill, Daily Bruin
Senior Staff.
AARON TOUT/Daily Bruin
Despite low voter turnout, tensions were high as election
results were announced. Bruin Libertarian Justin Sobodash (left)
has words with Alberto Retana and other Praxis members.