Elections themselves are interesting, but it has to be remembered that the process must be fairly controlled and handled. This is taken care of by our dear Dean of Students, Eka Tatishvili, and the Prefects. To get more insight, Eka was asked in detail about the whole process itself.
Q: How can students take part in elections? What exactly happens on the big day?
Eka: Students prepare and present their candidates prior to the elections. In the lead up to election day, candidates often create posters and promote themselves to gain support. On the day of the election, the process is overseen by school Prefects and class members. Each candidate delivers a speech in front of the students and prefects in the auditorium. Once all speeches have concluded, students return to their classrooms to vote. The voting is conducted by writing the choice on small pieces of paper, which are then placed in sealed envelopes under the supervision of advisory teachers. These sealed envelopes are handed over to the school prefects who count the votes. While there have been instances where voting was conducted via Google Forms, voting on paper is often considered to provide a more official voting process.
Lizi Schierman, a school prefect, provided insight into the school election process. A few days before the elections, prefects prepare paper ballots for students to select their candidates. Each advisor receives envelopes, one per grade, containing the correct number of ballots.
On election day, five prefects are involved in counting the votes. They organize the envelopes by grade and open them. Each prefect takes charge of counting votes for a specific candidate, recording the results on paper. Although the process is simple, the counting can become chaotic with so many people involved. Papers sometimes get mixed up, requiring the prefects to restart. They double check everything, but the large number of people counting leads to disruptions. Additionally, a non prefect student was allowed into the room, adding to the confusion, a factor they hope to improve in future elections.
Edited by: Keto Kapianidze
Comments