Jane's Pocket Change: Election Fervor
Last week we kicked off CSW's annual spring election cycle with student candidates for our board of trustees. The season continues with elections for heads of boards, town meeting moderators and assembly coordinators, followed in the fall by other grade-specific offices and reps.
Last week we kicked off CSW's annual spring election cycle with student candidates for our board of trustees. The season continues with elections for heads of boards, town meeting moderators and assembly coordinators, followed in the fall by other grade-specific offices and reps.
A much bigger and more complex election machine cranked up in India. The process began April 7 and will not end until May 12. Votes are counted by May 16. It is truly worth following.
"What may seem like an unusually long process to Americans used to watching election results revealed on television in a matter of hours is necessary to accommodate India’s roughly 815 million registered voters. To put that number in perspective for you, only about 200 million people are even eligible to vote in the US." *
Look at those numbers, and imagine the complexities of managing an election in such a geographically and socio-economically diverse country. The hope is to have all eligible voters vote--from the poorest of the poor through the establishment. Voters who cannot read, for example, opt for a party symbol: a hand, a lotus or an elephant. These voters, and many others, are also easily subject to bribery and corruption. We only need to think back to this year's all-school summer read, "Behind the Beautiful Forevers," to recall powerful stories of corruption and cheating and how easy it seems to buy your votes.
What a very powerful tool a vote is, but, to use a cliche, ‘only if we use it.’ I for one will be following India's election diligently (and I know members of Anjali Bhatia's "History of the Indian Subcontinent" class this Mod will too). Here's to success for all involved on the enormous scale of the Indian election and our very own small scale at CSW.
*Local Explains India's Election - NYU Local (article)
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Pocket Change is a web diary written by Jane Moulding, head of school.
A much bigger and more complex election machine cranked up in India. The process began April 7 and will not end until May 12. Votes are counted by May 16. It is truly worth following.
"What may seem like an unusually long process to Americans used to watching election results revealed on television in a matter of hours is necessary to accommodate India’s roughly 815 million registered voters. To put that number in perspective for you, only about 200 million people are even eligible to vote in the US." *
Look at those numbers, and imagine the complexities of managing an election in such a geographically and socio-economically diverse country. The hope is to have all eligible voters vote--from the poorest of the poor through the establishment. Voters who cannot read, for example, opt for a party symbol: a hand, a lotus or an elephant. These voters, and many others, are also easily subject to bribery and corruption. We only need to think back to this year's all-school summer read, "Behind the Beautiful Forevers," to recall powerful stories of corruption and cheating and how easy it seems to buy your votes.
What a very powerful tool a vote is, but, to use a cliche, ‘only if we use it.’ I for one will be following India's election diligently (and I know members of Anjali Bhatia's "History of the Indian Subcontinent" class this Mod will too). Here's to success for all involved on the enormous scale of the Indian election and our very own small scale at CSW.
*Local Explains India's Election - NYU Local (article)
_______________________________________________________________
Pocket Change is a web diary written by Jane Moulding, head of school.
The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.