In 2014, Student Union (SU) banned co-campaigning, or what is colloquially known as slating, because they affirmed them as a “popularity contest” that favored members who formed groups. In 2023, slating was reintroduced for candidates in SU elections to make campaigns more easily digestible for students.

Since then, several slates have formed during election cycles, usually uniting under a shared platform. Last election, there was a slate of 13 people for Senate and Treasury — and there were only 24 seats up for election. Everyone who ran as part of the 13 person slate got a seat.

This election cycle, there are three slates consisting of two candidates and three slates with more than two candidates. While groups as small as two are considered slates, we at StudLife are more concerned about larger groups — about four or more people.

In 2023, then junior and SU Election Commissioner Constantin Carrigan reported a 6% increase in voter turnout for the spring election after reintroducing slates. With the continued allowance of slates, however, the editorial board of Student Life is concerned about the possibility of a growing partisanship in the Student Union.

Large swaths of SU candidates being voted in on the same platform gives students a sense of ease while filling out the ballot. Nevertheless, it instills homogeneity into the very group of people meant to represent the diverse opinions and motivations of students at WashU. A system set up to accommodate slates will further ingrain them into the growing culture of partisanship in SU; this issue is exacerbated by the seemingly unlimited number of candidates that can be on a slate, and the number of slates themselves. 

Should we accept that our student government is becoming more like real-world partisan politics? Will slates exist as a sort of popularity contest, or evolve into domineering political parties?  What are the ramifications of slates on our student body?

Discourse and disagreement in a student government are essential for productive and informed resolutions. While each candidate on a slate might not exactly have the same opinions on a variety of matters, the shared platform they run on certainly encourages a sort of groupthink. Here that we question: To what extent do slates remain committed not only to the platforms they run on but also to their fellow running mates?

If anything, slates should be limited to a group of three people in order to allow for the diversity of thought needed to represent the student body. We encourage students who plan to vote to consider each candidate separately in order to make an informed and truly representative choice.

Staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of our editorial board members. The editorial board operates independently of our newsroom and includes members of the senior staff.

Kate Theerman Rodriguez | Junior Forum Editor 

Dion Hines | Senior Forum Editor

Nina Giraldo | Editor-in-Chief

AnaElda Ramos | Illustration Editor

Sydney Tran | Head of Design 

Jordan Spector | Managing Forum Editor

River Alsalihi | Junior Forum Editor

William Fieni-Thies | Junior Forum Editor

Elizabeth Grieve | Senior Scene Editor