The perils of unopposed elections

Princeton is no stranger to unopposed elections. On the ballot this coming November, there will be two unopposed positions for the Princeton Council, and three unopposed seats on the PPS Board of Education. During PHS’s own election for student body council earlier this month, the seats for both student body vice president and secretary were unopposed. This is hardly a new phenomenon.

For the past five years, numerous Princeton municipal leaders have won primary and general elections uncontested. The same can be said of many PHS student council positions for upperclassmen: every single student council candidate for the class of 2026 ran unopposed. This concerning trend of candidates being elected through no-contest undermines the health of democracy.

Recent changes in student council policies only exacerbate these concerns: starting from the 2026–27 school year, only students who have previously served on student council may run for student body positions and as school board liaison. The result? A reduction of an already shrinking field of candidates.

When voters lose the opportunity to choose between candidates, they often become apathetic, causing the trend to continue into future elections. According to data gathered by Survey and Ballot Systems in 2024, there is a 39 percent decrease in voter turnout in non-competitive elections. This is reflected in PHS Student Council elections, where voter turnout averaged 62.4 percent in campaigns where all races have more than two candidates but dropped to 24.6 percent in years with only one candidate.

In Princeton municipality elections, voter turnout was 57.66 percent, placing it second to last place among Mercer county municipalities — and voter turnout has been on the decline since 2016. Officials have placed emphasis on measures to increase voter turnout, yet the fundamental root cause of voter hesitancy remains the same: a lack of choices at the ballot box.

Indeed, this disillusionment in the electoral process can be seen at the school level, too. Freshman year student council races often feature a wide range of hopefuls, each vying for a position they see as prestigious and meaningful in the school community. Yet just one year later, the number of candidates running in sophomore year races drops 61 percent, going from about 4.16 candidates per race freshman year to just 1.75. When students realize that these positions can’t truly bring change, they may no longer be eager to spend time, energy, and effort to run for them.

Participation in school elections has been found to predict civic engagement in adulthood, with students who vote or run feeling more prepared to engage in the same processes as adults. This means that disengagement from elections at a student level can lead to decreased political engagement through both running and voting in future democratic processes.

Breaking the cycle of apathy, beginning at the local level, is critical. The municipality makes decisions daily on many of the most important policies that directly impact our lives. As just one instance, approving new highdensity housing projects is not a decision handed down from Washington, but rather taken on 400 Witherspoon St.

To address these challenges, it is time we revitalize what it means to win one of these positions. Whether it be at the school or municipal level, these positions can hold real value and change-making power. The real question is, of course, why has the ambition to serve in these roles vanished? The answer lies in the idea that these roles are perceived as lacking any real agency: student council positions simply serve to plan prom and town council members just rubber stamp predetermined policies.

So to the community, we say this: come together and unite behind new ideas: rally for fresh faces that break the status quo. Pool your minds — and funds — together, and perhaps you will see someone on the town council that truly represents you and advances the values that you care about.

To be clear, the current candidates don’t present any inherent flaws. But the mere fact that they have run unopposed for several election cycles sets the scene for deep-seated voter apathy.

When local governing bodies seldom have to step out of their comfort zone and truly connect with the community, the quality of our candidates falls short of what this town deserves. Without facing pressure to compete against opponents, winning candidates have the privilege of assuming positions with subpar effort, without the need to bring concrete policies to the table.

Democracy works. But it’s not a passive form of government — it works only when people are active in it. From the forums in Ancient Greece to the record electoral participation in India in its recent elections, it is up to us — we the people — to fulfill our duty to create a more perfect union by demanding a choice worth voting for, and ceasing support for a coronation of the unopposed.