OPINION: Seniors shouldn’t vote in CGSA elections

By Jordan Devlin ‘25

Graphic by Jordan Devlin

As the year comes to a close for seniors who are looking to the future, they suddenly have to jump back to the past as they cast a ballot for the incoming Catlin Gabel Student Association (CGSA) members. These members will lead a community that the seniors will not be a part of. Due to the lack of involvement, why should seniors have to participate in an election where they will not benefit from the outcome?

After thinking about this paradox, I’ve concluded that the solution may be simpler than it first appears. While seniors will be unaffected by the results of the election, the incoming ninth-grade class (current eighth graders) will be severely impacted by the leadership in their first year in the Catlin Gabel School (CGS) Upper School. Therefore, I believe that the incoming ninth graders should participate in elections rather than the seniors. 

During an interview I had with John Harnetiaux, the Upper School dean, on the matter, he explained how the tradition of seniors voting for class president has been in place as long as he has been in the Upper School. Specifically, Harnetiaux says that, for as long as he has been the CGSA advisor, the system has never even been “actively challenged by anyone.” 

However, I believe that this system could run in a different way, with the eighth graders voting instead of the seniors. A similar sentiment was shared by Senior class president Leon Liu, who said, “It would be a great way to ease the transition between middle and high school. It shows 8th graders that their voice matters and might get them excited to enter high school.”

Additionally, senior Claire Zhang, who is new to CGS this year, shared how the voting system at her old school allowed eighth graders to vote alongside 9th, 10th, and 11th graders. Zhang said that this system “seemed as fair as it could get,” demonstrating that having eighth graders vote is a model that can be and has been successful. 

Furthermore, in response to a question about whether eighth graders should vote instead of seniors, Zhang said, “I think 8th graders should be able to vote instead of seniors because they are the ones who will be affected/represented by next year's student government.” 

Zhang believes that “you should be able to have a say in who will be representing you.”

Although letting the incoming ninth graders vote in place of the seniors is a more logical system than the current one, I do understand that there are potential drawbacks. For example, one-fourth of the incoming ninth-grade class is new to CGS that year, meaning their votes wouldn’t be counted. This could be considered inequitable because some members of the class would get to vote, while others wouldn’t. 

Additionally, seniors could be considered more knowledgeable about the Upper School and the points that potential candidates make in their speeches. Many speeches discuss specific policies or problems that have arisen throughout the last year in the Upper School, such as transparency issues or budget questions. Incoming ninth graders may not yet have the experience needed to understand the complexity of these topics. 

Addressing the issue of lack of knowledge about the election, Liu said, “The expertise that seniors have regarding the high school experience is invaluable in terms of deciding the student leadership at school,” which is a sentiment I don’t disagree with. It seems logical that the members with the most knowledge should be able to contribute, however, I have other qualms with how this knowledge is used. 

While both of these points have merit, I do believe that there are counterpoints to both the lack of knowledge and the influx of ninth-grade students. In response to the idea that it would be unfair to the incoming eighth graders, many people leave CGS from year to year, meaning this is not an issue unique to the incoming ninth graders. While there is a greater influx during the first year of high school, the current eighth graders will still be affected, and they should get a chance to vote for their representatives. 

Although it is difficult to specifically respond to the idea that upperclassmen have more experience in the Upper School and should, therefore, vote, it is important to note that seniors do not always use this experience to take the election seriously. According to Harnetiaux, “I…have heard, though I don't have data, that…some seniors like intentionally try to, thwart the outcome of the election.” If seniors do not use the experience they have gained to take the election seriously, the outcome could be swayed, therefore meaning the seniors could have a negative impact on the voting process. 

Overall, I believe that it makes the most sense for the eighth graders to take the place of the seniors in the voting process of CGSA elections. Not only are the eighth graders more affected by the outcome of the election, but the seniors also may not always use their knowledge and experience most productively.