Only 626 students voted in the recent Associated Students of DVC election, which was down more than 50 percent from last year.

Given a student body of some 20,000, the percentage of voters who actually made it to the polls would give news pundits heart failure, if this were a national election.

So what happened?

Bill Oye, dean of student life and co-adviser to the ASDVC, attributes the low turn out to a lack of understanding and appreciation for the role played by student leaders.

“Many DVC students don’t see the connection between ASDVC and campus decisions about programs and budgets which directly affect their lives,” Oye told The Inquirer.

This is undoubtedly true.

And it is compounded when campaign promises are not kept, such as the on-campus health center last year’s winners vowed to make a reality. But what else may have contributed to the lowest voter turnout since 536 brave souls cast their ballots in the ASDVC elections of 2006?

One reason may have been the near invisibility of the election itself. The two coalitions didn’t begin campaigning until a week before the balloting. And given the dearth of campaign posters, it’s a wonder   voters turned up at all on election day.

It’s hard enough to keep track of due dates for class assignments, never mind memorizing when the ASDVC is holding its election.

And this is a shame.

Given the looming budget crisis, we need leaders who will rally the student body to vigorously oppose cuts that decimate our programs and services.

It would seem voter apathy this semester mirrored the apathy of those who ran for the positions on the ASDVC board. Each office had no more than two candidates, and four contenders ran unopposed.

It falls to the newly elected board members to make sure this doesn’t happen again next year. With a total voter turnout of less than 3.3 percent, a significant problem must be addressed.

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