Vibrant posters were strewn across the hallway, Instagram stories became flooded with endorsements and candidates advocated for themselves on BVTV as elections for the 2020-2021 Associated Student Body (ASB) Cabinet approached. Starting March 6 at midnight, ASB candidates committed themselves to garnering as many potential voters as possible through their campaigns.

During the week leading up to voting on March 12, ASB candidates devoted hours towards having their names be heard by the BVH student body and convincing them to vote for them. Current ASB Athletics Commissioner, 2020-2021 ASB Attorney General (AG) and junior Roman Medina notes that he spent roughly 30 hours working on his campaign. 

“The best way I can describe campaigning is like writing an essay. You need a claim, which would be your vision for the position. You need evidence, which would be your qualifications, and the conclusion would be election day and hearing the results,” Medina said. 

Medina won the position of AG after a run-off election on March 13, which took place because none of the AG candidates won more than 50 percent of the votes on March 12. In his campaign, he prioritized a combination of online and in-person promotion techniques.

“I [made] use of social media [for my campaign]. I posted five videos and two flyers for my friends to share around, and that went really well. I made 10 posters to place in various areas around campus, specifically places that I feel like people pass frequently,” Medina said.

While campaigning is ― ultimately ― a competition, ASB Technology Commissioner, candidate for ASB secretary and sophomore Michael Dimapilis explains how the process does not encourage hostility between the candidates. 

“It’s really friendly. The competition ― we take it with no hard feelings ― it doesn’t get personal. It’s a lot of work and really tiring if you really want the position,” Dimapilis said. 

Depending on the candidate, the steps taken to achieve a successful campaign may vary. Nevertheless, one aspect of campaigns that has historically been met with positive reception are campaign videos.

“The most successful part of my campaign was probably the videos I posted. They definitely got the most attention [out] of everything I posted and promoted,” Medina said.

Moreover, in order to reach out to potential voters outside of one’s friend group, Dimapalis explains how it’s effective to invent a memorable, eye-catching slogan. He attributes much of the success of his campaign to his own slogan.

“The most successful part of my campaign has probably been my slogan, which is ‘The Michael Face,’ or my logo. Through my friends who support me, they’ve been able to reach out to their friends, and so that spread. Even people that I don’t even know or barely know ― they know that that [‘The Michael Face’] is me and that’s the greatest part of the campaign,” Dimapilis said.

Overall, Dimapilis believes that the significance of campaigns largely lies in their ability to inform voters about why each candidate is running and persuade those voters to make the “right” decision. 

“Campaigns definitely play a large part in how students get to vote because with campaigns, the candidates are able to voice their motives and qualifications and convince other people to [make] the right choice. It’s also a big part of the student’s choice because, without them, a lot of students wouldn’t be able to know who the candidates [truly are],” Dimapilis said.

On top of promoting oneself, another part of the campaigning process is attempting to give a voice to the BVH student body. Because ASB Cabinet members are heavily involved in school events, their actions affect BVH students as a whole.

“I have constantly reminded the student body that being an [ASB] officer is not for me; it is for the students. [It is about] making this school a better place,” ASB Visual and Performing Arts Commissioner, former AG candidate and junior Amari Adrianzen said.

Adrianzen, who was in the AG run-off election along with Medina, feels like representing the student body through her campaign held personal significance. 

“My campaign means a lot to me. I have dreamed about being an ASB officer at [BVH] since I was in seventh grade, so it’s crazy to be here,” Adrianzen said, prior to the run-off election.

When the new ASB Cabinet was revealed on March 13 after the run-off elections, the campaign process came to a close. Reflecting on the experience, Medina described campaigning as a unique, entertaining experience. 

“Campaigning is so much fun ― it really brings you closer to friends, and you really do learn a lot about yourself. If I could do this week over again, I 100 percent would,” Medina said.