Elected by default

It’s election season at Mercersburg Academy. Candidates are making their campaign videos, and students are getting ready to cast their votes. Everything seems normal except for one thing: you can’t actually run for vice president! Mercersburg’s current system for electing class council members, which automatically assigns the vice president’s role to the presidential runner-up, is fundamentally flawed. It creates a forced partnership while also reducing the vice presidency to a consolation prize.

The first reason for a change is the need for more unified teamwork. If both the president and vice president ran together, there would be more unified ideas and less discord. In the current system, the president might have to work with someone whose ideas they oppose or with someone they aren’t familiar with. Imagine meetings with endless debates and very little progress. This structure guarantees increased disagreements within the class council. 

A more effective model would allow students to run as vice president, partnered with the presidential candidate. This would ensure that the team was aligned and could move forward from day one because students deserve leaders who can work well together.

The current system also turns a position of distinct leadership into a consolation prize for getting second place, making it feel like a fallback rather than a genuine victory. This completely undermines the joy and accomplishment of winning the vice presidency. One whose goal was to become president might commit to being a good vice president, but the “win” would be less enjoyable because it resulted from their failure to reach the primary goal. Committing to something is much harder when you don’t want it. While the vice president may eventually come to love their role, the designated class deserves someone enthusiastic about the work from the very beginning. 

The current election system might seem convenient, but it creates issues that make the vice presidency feel like the second-best. By moving to a system that gives the vice president an independent vote, we can have a vice president and a president with clear, unified goals and a passion for their jobs. It’s time for Mercersburg Academy to adopt a more effective, unified class council.