The CRIMSON has been interested to find out whether the voting at the election of Class Day officers this year compared favorably or otherwise with the voting at former elections. There were in the neighborhood of 620 eligible voters at the recent elections and 317 voted for the officers while only 246 took the trouble to vote for the committees. This is approximately 51 per cent. for the first election and 39 per cent. for the second. These figures are unfortunately considerably lower than in most years, and lower even than the average for the past four years, while the present Senior class has been in College. During these years the classes have been of nearly the same size, 1909, however, being the largest by quite a margin. An average of these years shows a vote of 58 per cent. for the officers and 44 per cent. for the committees. From any point one cares to view it these are disgracefully low figures. In political elections of the city or nation two-thirds of the total number of voters usually cast a ballot while here, where a class of 620 students is engaged in choosing important officers once and for all, not enough public interest can be aroused to poll a vote of more than 51 per cent.
In the matter of elections in the years previous to the last, the figures are also instructive. Each class starts out fairly well with a vote of about 60 per cent. for its Freshman officers. The largest vote cast for any class election was by the present Junior class in their Freshman year when 433 votes were cast. This good record was slightly marred in the Sophomore year when the vote was about 3 per cent. smaller and it was entirely spoiled in the elections this fall when only 232 men voted. A similar dropping off each year with a large decrease in Junior year is noticeable in most classes. No wonder some people call us indifferent, and it seems as though they are not far wrong in the matter of class elections at any rate.
Read more in News
CONDITIONS IN THE BALKANS