Since 2009, the number of candidates running for Associated Students of UNM president has been low, with either two or three students competing for the seat in a given cycle.
With the highest number of votes for a single election in that time being 2,303, in the same year with three presidential candidates, there could be a correlation when it comes to voter turnout and the options to support on the ballot.
Nadia Cabrera, executive director for the ASUNM Elections Commission this year, said the undergraduate student governing body would like more candidates to run for president, but that does not mean the voter turnout will change.
“I think it would be great if more than two or three candidates ran for president, but whether or not anything would change depends entirely on who runs,” Cabrera said. “Many candidates for ASUNM president belong to similar communities, which is why there is not always a direct relationship between number of candidates and number of voters.”
Michael Rocca, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science, said the number of candidates is not a determinant for whether an election will be competitive or not.
He said that what determines an election's outcomes, rather, is the degree of competition between candidates, not necessarily the number of candidates running. He argued that voter turnout and the diversity of the candidates is based on the candidates themselves.
"A two-candidate race could be highly competitive, just as a six-person race could be a landslide. In the end, what we want is for elections to reasonably translate the will of the people into electoral outcomes," he said. "The number of candidates in an election may not be as important a factor in accomplishing that goal as, say, the quality of the candidates running or who turns out to vote."
Rocca said there is a possibility that the number of candidates may increase the competition, but there is no way to be certain.
“The number of candidates in an election might indicate a more competitive electoral environment, which will increase turnout. But this isn’t always the case, particularly when the additional candidates are ideologically extreme and can therefore attract only small voting blocs," he said.
Rocca said increased similarities between candidates could also lead voters to forego voting on election day.
He said that the amount of candidates can, however, lessen the amount of credibility the winning candidate has in representing undergraduates.
“There is often a fine line between having too many and too few candidates in a race. Too few — such as one candidate running unopposed — does not provide voters with a choice beyond, of course, whether to vote or not,” he said. "Too many candidates may result in no single candidate receiving close to a majority, which may threaten the credibility of the winning candidate's ability to represent everyone."
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The best predictor of turnout is the competitiveness of an election; the more competitive the election, typically the higher the turnout, Rocca said. This happens because the candidates work harder in competitive environments to mobilize voters, which creates awareness and interest among the electorate.
"As to the reason behind more students not participating in ASUNM elections," Cabrera said, "the answer could be the amount of work it takes to become president and hold the position."
To become ASUNM president means committing a lot of time to the job. Even running for the position is time consuming, she said.
The individual must be completely dedicated to the position while keeping up still putting their school work and studies first. She said this could be an aspect as to why students are reluctant to run and why there are not more candidates during elections.
Rocca said the most important aspect of an election is what the candidates will bring to UNM and how they compare to their candidates. The biggest thing voters can have, he said, is a choice.
“This requires more than one candidate, and candidates who have different enough platforms to require a voter to choose. Otherwise an individual’s vote wouldn’t really matter to the type of representation he or she receives," he said. "So, in the end, we should strive towards providing voters with choices that resemble the electorate in, hopefully, a competitive electoral environment.“
Denicia Aragon is a staff reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com on Twitter @DailyLobo.
