The Election Field Guide The Origins and Evolution of the UP SC Candidate By Bernardo Cielo II Taking that first

step into the University on the first day of elections can be a daunting task for any UP student. The surge of students wearing either red or blue shirts lined up along the pathway, each reaching out their hands to shake yours. The piles of election paraphernalia they give out to students, each with a name, face and position they are running for. The various RTRs where candidates talk so fast the only things you remember from them are their names that they reiterate three or four times before and after their speech. It is difficult for any UP student to efficiently filter through more than a dozen candidates and select the few they see fit to represent them for the incoming year. For one to be able to gauge each candidate effectively, we must first trace how he or she came forth as candidates and what processes transpired to make them what they are now. Step 1: Establishing a Brand
The primary step a student takes to prepare for running in the student council elections is to establish a good brand. Branding is a very powerful tool during elections for establishing name and color recall is the most basic target of any candidate or political party. First, looking clean and fresh during the election period is necessary in establishing credibility. This is why the election season is one of the few days of the year when seeing students with their hair combed and their shirts pressed wouldnt automatically mean either he or she will be hosting in an event or this kid will have to do an extemporaneous speech for his or her Comm3 class. People must also be able to recognize and remember them easily, hence, some of them will make use of funny and suggestive taglines, some would sing and dance in RTRs, and some would use popular icons and associate themselves to it. Candidates make use of color associations to further promote themselves. They will pick a color that they will use for the rest of the campaign period, sometimes even after, to subliminally implant color memory into the voters. If students belong to political parties, they would normally make use of just one color making the color memory more potent. These initial strategies are sure-fire ways of getting attention, however, getting voters attention is not enough. One must be able to separate the brand from the candidate, and assess if the candidate himself or herself is of good quality. Step 2: Knowing the electorate

Knowing the electorate is a decisive step in conducting an electoral campaign. This is why candidates would seek out to know who the voters are and what are they concerned about. They will try to understand what issues the voters find pertinent to address and create their platforms, speeches and campaign slogans tailor fit to address and highlight these issues and concerns, and what they are

willing to do to solve them. We must be careful, however, because making a promise is not necessarily meaning it. If a candidate aims solely to please or impress the electorate, then they fail in their responsibility to the voters who believed them. Consequently, we must be vigilant in assessing if the candidates are sincere in the promises that they made during the campaign period and we must hold them accountable to it in the year to come in the event that they win. Step 3: Positioning a candidate Positioning is a key step in popularizing a candidate prior and during the elections. This is when the candidates position themselves in situations where the electorate can see them in a positive light. The
weeks leading to the elections are usually a time when aspirants for council positions are the most active. To get an edge over the competition, incumbents and political neophytes alike would rush projects the week or two weeks before the first day of campaign as students will best remember events held nearest election day. They serve as the hosts, performers or event coordinators of these events and would sometimes give themselves awards to boost their credentials for the elections to come, all for the interest of broadening their connections and positioning them in advantageous situations to promote themselves where voters gather. This, however, is not always an accurate measure if a candidate is truly concerned with his or her constituents. It will prove to be problematic if the voters would decide to vote for a candidate based on visibility alone. Though there is nothing wrong with positioning in general, we must if these candidates were consistent in serving their constituents prior the elections. Step 4: Advertising Advertising covers all the different forms of print materials, like posters, fliers and pins; videos and other media; and other promotional materials. For a student who was unable to meet the candidates in person, whether by chance or because they were undertaking their practicums outside the university, the advertising materials would be the sole basis for them to choose their leaders. Aesthetics plays a role on how well a student may perceive a future councilor or chairperson as voters are often captives to their own visual pleasures. The beauty of the poster, its ability to present cohesiveness and integrity, and its over-all aesthetic value will determine whether or not it can capture the interest of the electorate. However, advertising itself is problematic. A candidate or political party would seek to only promote their positives, and disregard their negatives. The common voter needs a greater pool of knowledge for to effectively decide whom they will choose as their student council. Providing incomplete information is detrimental for the purposes of holding elections, and is just as iniquitous as shamelessly denying it all together. Election paraphernalia is a good source of information, but it is far from being a comprehensive one. Valuing what lies underneath the starch pressed shirt

Knowing that you have only one vote puts a lot of pressure on any voter. And the best way to address this situation is to be equipped with the necessary knowledge to evaluate what these candidates are saying. Knowing the issues prevents stonewallers and bluffers from winning seats in office. Preparing ones self from the barrage of false promises and hollow speeches prevents further casualties after the elections and ensures that those who do end up winning would serve their purpose and push through with what they have promised. Let us be the people who believe in progress rather than people who believe in people who believe in progress. Take an active role in knowing the candidates and evaluate for yourself, outside election gimmicks and propaganda, who best embodies your and your universitys concerns. We must stand up past personality politics where one simply chooses a candidate based on aesthetics and stereotypes. Let us evaluate the credentials to define which ones are pertinent for the positions that they are running for, and read and compare the platforms that they offer. If we understand enough about that which stand before us, we are more capable of facing it head on. Studying the candidates will help us make a wiser assessment on what it is we look for in a leader and not to be caught up only on the strategies that they use, the promises that they make or the emotions they espouse. There may very well be candidates, who do not follow these norms, nor do these norms necessarily say that the candidates who use them are not worth the vote. It must, however, be stressed that we should go passed the image they are trying to build and try to get to know exactly who they are as leaders and what do they offer us as their constituents. Is there a genuine willingness to serve? Is there a capability to perform well in the council? Is there a passion for the work they are committed to accomplish? If so, then they are more than deserving of our patronage.