How to Win a Student Government Election

While a student at a small, private school many years ago, I approached the principal and asked if we could start a student government program. The principal asked me to write a research paper. I did. And he instituted class officers. Thus began a tradition of student government elections at our school, which later expanded to include a school-wide student council.

Five years ago, I had the honor of returning to my high school alma mater - as a teacher! I took over managing the student government program that I had helped start. In short, I'm a big believer in student government - and if you're considering taking the plunge, I applaud you for it.

Here are a few steps you can take to get you started on your road to winning a student government election:

1. Study your school

Unless it's your girlfriend or boyfriend (and maybe not even then), people won't vote for you just because you want the title "class president" or "student body treasurer" or whatever it is you're interested in. Don't run for student government just because you want to pad your resume. You need to offer something to your school.

In order to know what you can contribute to your school, you need to know your school. Study the demographics of your school. How many students are there at your school? You should know those numbers by grade level. Since most student government elections center on the high school, you should obviously focus most of your time at that level - but don't neglect middle school and elementary.

Find out what the pressing issues and concerns are for the students, the teachers, and the administration. Don't be too quick to take sides. Focus on gathering the information. Learn all the sides. Determine to be thoughtful and mature in how you approach the issues impacting your school.

Attend some PTA meetings (if allowed). Get the minutes. Talk with parents (not just your own), teachers, and other students. Set an appointment with the principal. Tell him or her what you're thinking and doing, and ask what he or she would like to see from student government.

You should not neglect this important, first step. Get to know your school - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

2. Build a network

Get involved. By all means, manage your time wisely - and don't neglect your family and your grades. However, if you want to run for student government, you have to prepare for it. You have to have a network of contacts and acquaintances - and friends.

A few fundamental suggestions...work on your smile. Be polite to everyone. Be nice. Don't be fake, but genuinely be nice to everyone you come in contact with. Encourage people. Compliment them. Again, don't be fake. Make it a true part of your personality. While you may not be a person of faith, the Bible says that that a "man who hath friends must show himself friendly." So, be friendly. If you're genuine and consistent about it, you'll be surprised how that alone will increase your popularity.

Next...join an organization or two at your school (as your time will permit). Preferably, you want to strike a balance between athletics and non-athletic activities. So, join the football team or softball team, while also getting involved in the Key Club or the Chess Club. If you're "not a joiner," you better get over that. You can't run for student government without meeting people and knowing people.

Spread your contacts out among the grades - although you'll focus most of your time at high school. But don't neglect the middle school. In fact, if you're in the 9th grade now and are setting a goal to run for student body president when you're in the 11th or 12th grade, you'll need those future high schoolers in your camp.

3. Identify your base of support

As you identify your interests, build your network, and learn the school better, you'll be better positioned to decide who your natural supporters will be. All politicians have a base of support. At the national level, one of George W. Bush's key "bases" is the evangelical "values" constituency. If you're socially or politically liberal, you should get to know the Teenage Democrats at your school and/or any other liberal student group. The same holds true obviously if you're conservative. Start cultivating a base of support of friends and like-minded acquaintances.

4. Establish goals for yourself

Think through very clearly why you are interested in student government. Why do you want to win a student government election? Why do you want to serve as the class vice president or student body secretary? Think Big Picture and Small Picture. Think how you will help the school and how a student government position will help you.

Decide what office you want to run for - and when? If you're in the 9th or 10th grade, this can be a multi-year plan. Maybe this next year, you run for class vice president and the year after for president. Something along those lines.

Write down your goals. Pray about them. Consider them. Talk with your close friends and your parents about them. And then commit to them.

5. Draft an agenda

Once you've settled on a particular office in a particular time-frame (i.e., class president next year), then you need to start putting a specific agenda together. What will you do in that position? In 1994, the Republican Party took the Congress in part based on its "Contract With America," a specific agenda of what they planned to do. You should draft an agenda. Don't just run as the "jock" or as the "nice guy in algebra class." Stand for specific ideas. Offer tangible things. Again, this brings us back to Step One.

Following these above steps will help you lay the critical foundation toward success in student government elections. Good luck.