Voting for Student Government Association (SGA) president opened on myNeu this morning, and when the results are tallied a week from today, we will not only be looking at which candidate won the presidency, but also whether SGA won over the student body.

Last year during the voting process – which was only the second time in recent history that SGA has used the direct elections process – SGA failed to engage 20 percent of the student body within the scheduled voting period, forcing them to extend it to hit that mark.

During an interview with The News last night, both candidates – incumbent Ryan Fox and Vice President of Academic Affairs Amanda Sabia – said communication between SGA and the student body was an important issue, and that they were doing their best to reach as many of Northeastern’s 16,000 undergraduates as possible. Both were also very confident that at least 20 percent of those undergraduates would cast a vote on myNeu within the week and denied student apathy on campus.

Many SGA members are intensely involved in the debate over whether Fox or Sabia is more qualified to take the reigns next year, dedicating their Facebooks and Twitter feeds to the cause or talking up a certain candidate to anybody who will listen. But what about the student body at-large?

You can cast your vote … or not. Either way – and whether you realize it or not – you’re sending a message about how well SGA has (or hasn’t) engaged the student body, and how much you care about Northeastern student politics (or don’t).

The News is not calling on students to cast their vote toward a certain candidate, but rather to use their votes wisely, and not to vote on a whim, or because they saw a candidates’ name that day, or “just because.” If you feel SGA has engaged you in this election process, you understand the candidates’ platforms and have considered the campaign coverage by student media like The News, then think about what you want to see in a student body president and vote for Fox or Sabia – or, if you have no confidence that either candidate is up to par, voting “no confidence” is a legitimate option. If you feel like you haven’t been engaged, don’t play the guessing game. If direct elections isn’t working, SGA needs to fix it – but only time will tell.

See you next week.