Are Council Elections A Popularity Contest?

To a somewhat large extent, yes. As of late, any TikTok or Instagram user would have likely chanced upon at least one campaign post from any Junior College (JC) in Singapore. This wave of TikToks and social media posts herald the start of the student council elections in JCs.

Campaigning is a far cry from the primary and secondary school methods of electing student councillors, who are typically picked by teachers. In JCs however, students are given a greater voice in choosing their student council. This is largely due to the differences in the responsibilities of the student council in the different levels of education. In primary and secondary schools, the student council is mostly responsible for upholding the discipline in school. Meanwhile, student councillors in JC strive to craft memorable and unique JC experiences for their schoolmates through new initiatives or the planning of school events. Each batch of student councillors would have something new to bring to the table, and it is crucial for the student body to assess the ideas and capabilities of the council candidates, and choose who they think would give them the best JC experience.

Significance of campaigning

This is where campaigning comes in. The process of campaigning is arguably the most impactful in any student council election, as it allows candidates to garner votes from the student body for them to be elected into student council. 

With a pool of at least a hundred candidates to choose from, it is quite unlikely for any J1 to have spoken to all of them in the short time. Campaigning thus acts as a platform for the student body to better know the candidates. This is especially important in JIP schools, where JIP candidates are likely to have larger social circles within the school than JAE candidates. Thus, campaigning seeks to even the playing field by giving every candidate a platform to make themselves known.

During campaign week, candidates can put forth their ideas, concerns and initiatives for the school should they be elected. Ideally, the student body would then vote for the candidates whose initiatives they strongly resonate with, or who have the skills and values of a student council member. Therefore, the ideal purpose of campaigning is to help the student body make informed decisions when voting.

Structure of student elections / campaigning

The campaign period begins once a pool of student council candidates have been shortlisted through interviews by the existing student council members. This group of candidates, ranging from anywhere between 75 to 140 students, will then undergo one week of campaigning to garner votes and support from the student body. In some JCs, including EJ, candidates are split into campaign groups, whom they will campaign with for the week-long campaign period. 

Different candidates campaign differently. These campaigns can showcase their creativity and the lengths they are willing to go to be part of the student council. Some make TikToks, some give out sweets while others design their own campaign stickers. While the standard campaign structure differs from JC to JC, most would require candidates to come up with a physical poster, and an Instagram post or video to promote themselves. Physical campaign components would then include booths, speeches or performances by the candidates.

Influence of social media

Social media has undoubtedly become more prevalent in our daily lives, so it is unsurprising that it would play a significant role in the campaigning process. Social media has significant influence and is instrumental in shaping public opinion, which can directly impact the results of an election. 

Social media has a significant influence on how we perceive things. For instance, a visually appealing post, or good looking candidate is likely to garner more attention and support. This is largely due to the psychological impact beauty has on humans, for we tend to perceive pretty people as more confident or capable, enticing more people to vote for them. This can be seen in the higher number of likes or comments on their post, which can be considered as a measure of popularity or social acceptance. Popularity can also influence public perception of a campaign. If a campaign is popular, people are more likely to view it positively and feel inclined to vote for the candidate. Conversely, if a campaign is unpopular, it may be met with scepticism or resistance, resulting in fewer votes for that candidate.

Beyond physical attractiveness, the entertainment factor of a campaign also plays a large role in shaping public opinion. This is especially the case on social media platforms where algorithms can recommend popular content to other users. In February 2022, a student council campaign TikTok by Priyanka from St. Andrew’s Junior College (SAJC), took Singapore by storm. With her catchy rap, Priyanka caught the attention of many TikTok users across Singapore, and was even featured on Mothership twice. As of today, her TikTok has 1.7 million views and 114 thousand likes. It was to no one’s surprise then, that she was elected into SAJC’s student council.

This then begs the question – Does popularity have a role in the success of a campaign?

How voters vote (social circles + impact of campaign)

The easiest way to answer that question would be to dive into how voters cast their votes. A survey was conducted to look into the thought process of voters. It found that 90% of students vote for candidates they know personally prior to the campaign, with 40% of these respondents allocating seven out of eight of their votes to those candidates. This illustrates the impact a candidate’s social circle has on election results. With more than a 100 candidates to assess, it is oftentimes easier for voters to decide from a smaller pool of candidates whom they know personally. 

However, candidates can also garner more votes by making an impactful campaign. According to the survey, 55% of respondents would vote for a candidate with an entertaining or memorable campaign. 

Student council elections = Popularity contest

Given the statistics collected, it does seem that student council elections are typically more in favour of popular candidates. These candidates can be popular for two reasons, they either have large social circles or have created entertaining, memorable campaigns. These two factors, friendship and campaign impact, contribute to the popularity of a candidate running for student council. A more popular candidate is likely to have more people voting for them, even people who they do not know personally. As each voter is given eight votes, some might have “leftover” votes after voting for people they do know personally. As such, they might cast their vote for a popular candidate, despite not knowing them personally as they would seem to be a capable candidate due to the overwhelming support they receive from the student body. Since the results of these elections are determined by votes, a more popular candidate would indeed have a higher likelihood of being elected into the student council.

Final thoughts

While it might be established that student council elections are essentially a popularity contest, does it in any way discredit the effectiveness of using campaigning and student votes as a means of selection? Choosing a student council for students, by students seems ideal, because who would know the candidates better than their peers? Do student votes thus guarantee the best suited candidate line up to be elected? No, it would not. The chances of an entire student body sharing the exact same opinions about the 47 student council members are slim, and there is no perfect combination that would satisfy everyone. However, student council elections are a decent means to ascertain the next best possibility. As consumers of the student council’s initiatives, the student body are self-interested and rational decision makers, and would vote for candidates who they think would serve them best. A student council for students, elected by students, is arguably the truest representation of the student body’s wishes.