By Carolina Espinal

That time of the year has arrived again: dozens of multi-colored posters hang against the walls, hallways, doors and staircases, flooding the school’s atmosphere with slogans that usually sound a little like, “Vote for Me Because I’m the Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread.” 

Getting Noticed

Many of the jaguars at MLEC are really focused on getting from one class to the other. If you have plain and dull posters with no color or appeal, chances are, no one will acknowledge it. Ask yourself: “Does this poster capture enough of my attention for me to actually read it?” You want to catch your audience’s attention by making your posters stand out. You don’t have to bedazzle them or anything but colors don’t hurt. 

Strategy

Places where students pass by frequently and look at are where you want to hang your posters. If you’re a freshman, the most ideal place to hang them is outside courses all freshmen take-English and World History. Sophomores: every tenth grader must take English and a form of science and math; strategize the exact location where these classes are and pinpoint your posters there. The front of the bathrooms and water fountains are the most popular places. Posting here is crucial. 

Campaigning

The more you endorse yourself, the better chances you have of people recognizing you. Although posting over a hundred flyers and banners sounds intimidating, people will notice and people tend to vote on the names they remember most. While passing out goodies, present yourself so that the person receiving your treat can also receive a good vibe from you. 

Speech

People like confidence; it’s attractive. Speak like you own the floor—project and hypnotize your audience by the sound of assurance in your voice and wow your spectators by the way you present and carry yourself during the speech.

Introducing your desire to help the school become a better place is pivotal. Make sure to incorporate why you want the position you’re running for and what changes you’re planning to make if elected. Don’t get it twisted. People want to hear your skills and expertise, but bragging will make you appear arrogant.

Engage with your audience. Place them in the moment. Talk to them as you would to your closest friends; the audience wants to feel involved and alive, not bored to death by a robotic speech. Incorporate your personality into the speech. Don’t read off the paper and, most importantly, be genuine.

Play it clean, don’t bash the other candidates, it’s just not right. Have integrity and focus on your speech and your speech only.

Results

You can control the amount of posters you put up, you can manage to put yourself out there, and you can practice a perfect speech. However, once you’ve finished and it comes down to voting, you no longer have that power. There are different types of voters out there. Some will vote on how well you spoke, others on how much you campaigned, and most on how well they know you. At the end of the day, you did your part and that’s all you really could do.

Best-case scenario: you win and you show your class what you’re made of.

Worst-case scenario: you lose, but life still goes on. Don’t be a sore loser. Congratulate the winner and hope that tech will be a better place with their leadership.

The fact that you decided to join the race because you believed you could make your class better is enough to reward yourself with a pat on the back (and some cake). Be proud. It isn’t easy campaigning or confronting large crowds and offering your greatness.

Good luck to all candidates!