Wait for SA election results, don’t bicker on social media

Students should wait until the Student Association executive election results are released rather than arguing over which party they think won.

The SA will not release the results of the executive election until the SA Supreme Court has made rulings on the petitions the Voice of Change and Standing For Every Student tickets filed against each other last week. Still, it seems students have been more focused on choosing sides, whether it be between tickets or Greeks versus non-Greeks, than on talking about which candidates will be best for students. Arguing on Twitter and Facebook will only create an unnecessary divide between students.

Last week, a Facebook group called Not Our Ticket was made by an anonymous person who demanded NIU and the SA hold a second election for the Voice of Change ticket. Holding a second election would be a student government issue and NIU would have nothing to do with it; this inaccuracy shows those who are arguing are more focused on throwing out rumors and accusations than on rationally analyzing the elections and candidates.

Besides that, students need to wait to hear from the SA Supreme Court, which is hearing appeals from the tickets Tuesday, to see if the court acted fairly in disqualifying candidates. If the SA Supreme Court acts fairly then students should be respectful of the ticket that won, whether it was because of disqualification or because of votes.

Students have the power to demand things like recounts and election redos, and we encourage students to stand up for their beliefs. If students don’t feel the results — once they’re released — properly reflect their wants and needs, they should speak up. Until then, everyone should relax and get off social media.

The whole reason SA executive elections are held is so students can choose who represents them when it comes to shared governance in important issues — they’re not held to see whose friends are better at defending them.