By Adrianne Coloma

By Bella Lucindo

If one were to ask the student body how the ASHS’ election process works, most would shrug and say, “I’m not sure.” That is, of course, unless you are one of the many students part of the school’s very own Commission on Elections, or as they are more commonly known: ComElec. While students often see the campaign posters, speeches, and ballots, much of the work that ensures a fair and credible election happens behind the scenes. 

Now more than ever, students must understand the weight of their voices, not only in shaping the next batch of student leaders but in the greater institution that these elections simulate. The ASHS Executive Elections call the student body to exercise that power, to be more informed and active voters, to talk about politics in a time that is truly polarizing. 

Behind the ballot, behind the votes, here’s what the ASHS community needs to know:

Behind the Scenes

Jehyia Enriquez, ComElec’s Overall Head, had many interesting things to share about the work that goes into the elections. The majority of the commission’s work takes place during the pre-election season: The planning, the process, all the document filing, and logistics. To plan and manage a whole election season takes careful thought, attention to detail, and a firm understanding of justice, fairness, and transparency. 

As the campaign season begins, and candidates vie to share their platforms and advocacies with the community, it is the job of the ComElec to monitor each candidate, their promotions, and ensure that the entire process is visible to the students, and that each and every student has the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the election season. 

This election is a school-wide event, and so, ComElec also partners with organizations such as the Ateneo Publicity and Communications Organizations (APCO) and the Student Ambassador Program (SAP) to further publicize and establish the elections as an integral event within the community.  

What to Expect on Election Day

Of course, the event that all the campaigning, planning, and debates are building towards is the election day itself. “Through the use of onsite voting, we’re able to actually have them immerse themselves in the experience and simulate the national elections, such as through the use of zip-grade ballots and also having them [physically] filling it out in the [classroom] precinct,” shared Enriquez. 

On that day, the students of the ASHS will finally have to answer that question: “Who do I want to lead me?” The physical ballot serves as a reminder of the tangible impact that one’s vote makes, of the reason why we are voting in the first place. 

“For the election day this year, I hope that the students will be able to fulfill their roles, not only as students but as members of the electorate. As active members whose vote actually has a part, and not just a small part, but a very very significant part in shaping the sanggunian for the next year,” affirmed Enriquez. 

Why Preferential Voting? 

What sets the ASHS ComElec apart from other ComElecs is the use of the preferential voting system. The preferential voting system asks voters to rank each candidate — including the choice to abstain — based on their preferences. According to Enriquez, this system allows ComElec to ensure that all votes are well-represented. 

Each ranking matters. In any election, the winner is determined by a 50% plus one majority threshold. This means that the winning candidate must collate over half of the votes. “If they don’t reach that threshold, we end up redistributing the second [and third] choice preference votes until a winner is able to be determined,” said Enriquez. The preferential voting system ensures that this process accurately reflects the votes of the student population. 

This system was initially implemented due to a large number of candidates in previous batch elections, shared Enriquez. With the student population being divided into strands, she shared, some groups are bound to be disproportionately represented in voting. The outcome would often be that no candidate would reach the required threshold. “The logistics and finance department of that batch were able to research on ways to make voting more representative, and thus, the preferential voting system was implemented,” Enriquez explained.

The Battle Against Voter Apathy

Enriquez shared that the biggest challenge ComElec faces is the battle against voter apathy. Voter apathy is the phenomenon known as the lack of interest or care in politics. Enriquez added, however, that the issue is not necessarily that the student body does not care, but more so that the students simply have more tasks and responsibilities to put their focus towards. “The ASHS is a very rigorous school in terms of academics and extracurriculars, and so we [have to] do our best to find a way to make it not only convenient, but also accessible to students to be able to participate in voting,” she remarked. 

The Importance of Voting

“Something that I’ve learned throughout the school year is that student participation at the voter’s level is very important,” reflected Enriquez. The ASHS community is one that is dominated by strong voices, leaders, organizations, and committees. It is easy for one small voice to get drowned out in the sheer size of this school. 

What ComElec’s effort strives to highlight is that your voice matters. “We want to make sure that they are able to take full advantage of the processes that we have to make it more representative of everyone,” Enriquez said. It is stated time and time again, and it is repeated for a reason. The attitudes of the students, the debates and conversations shared, and the outcomes of the elections held within the ASHS now reveal the character that will be reflected in our country-shaping votes in the future.  

ComElec’s Message to the Community

“Well, we say this a lot, but our tagline is ‘Lagi’t Lagi, Para sa Makabuluhang Pagpili.’ When we make decisions, it has to be informed, it has to be deliberate. It is not only a right, but also a responsibility to make those decisions. We should not be passive members, we need to be active members in shaping the community that we want to see,” thoughtfully concluded Enriquez. 

Though a single vote may seem small, it contributes to a larger collective decision that affects the entire student body. Choosing our leaders is a shared responsibility — one that calls on students to remain informed, discerning, and engaged, because even the smallest ballot can create ripples that shape the future of the community.