ASB announced that Caro Cardenas was elected president following a special election held at the beginning of the fall semester. The ASB presidency was the only position contested, leaving several seats vacant.
Just 181 students voted in the election, which makes up 0.7% percent of LBCC’s student population.
Low voter turnout has been common in previous ASB elections.
“I honestly can’t think of anything else besides literally going face-to-face in front of each student, but we know that’s not likely,” Cardenas said about getting more students to vote.
Kim Hamon, student activities advisor, had a different outlook when discussing voter turnout, saying she was encouraged by the results.
“I was really impressed by the turnout seeing that it was a special election during the first two weeks of the semester,” Hamon said. “The fact that we had four students running for a position showed that students were invested and interested in becoming student leaders.”
Although four students ran for ASB president, several other positions remained vacant following the election.
Ten of ASB’s 23 seats remain vacant, leaving several groups on campus without a designated representative.
“The impact that I see if a representative position is open is that a specific group isn’t being amplified,” Hamon said.
When a representative position remains vacant, Hamon said other members of ASB may attempt to represent the interests of those students.
“Student leaders do a really good job, even if they’re not in a specific position, if they represent the student group or if they really care about a student group, they bring those voices to the table,” Hamon said.
A major reason students may not be voting in these elections or applying for these representative positions is because they are unaware of the importance of ASB elections and the importance of participating in student government.
“The same way that you can educate somebody doesn’t mean they’re gonna use that knowledge, but it is important for a lot of people to vote regardless,” Cardenas said. “I did promote that as much as possible.”
Cardenas, who had not served on LBCC’s ASB cabinet before this semester, said increasing student engagement will be one of his priorities as president.
“I want more engagement for students really, I want there to be a healthier environment for everybody, not that it’s not already healthy, but we can always make it better,” Cardenas said.
Cardenas also has goals within ASB itself, noting that collaboration between everyone in ASB is crucial in getting things done.
“An unofficial responsibility that I am excited to have is I want to create an environment for the board where we can all have each other’s backs,” Cardenas said. “I know a lot of us share the same goals in terms of collaboration with the clubs here and making sure resources get promoted more.”
To stay informed on ASB information, you can attend ASB cabinet meetings via zoom or in person, with the next meeting taking place on Oct. 26 at TTC from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
