If you couldn’t already tell by pages A6, A7 and A8 this issue of the Lanthorn, election season is once again upon Grand Valley State University’s Student Senate.

In 2010, only 8 percent of GVSU’s student body — about 2,000 of 24,541 students — voted in the Senate’s cabinet elections, while only a marginal increase of about 125 students voted in last years’ elections. President Thomas J. Haas himself even e-mailed the student body last year in an effort to encourage more student participation.

This year, 27 students are vying for the election seats, and it’s important that the student body get to know them, get online and vote.

Often in the Lanthorn’s editorial page, we talk about how important it is to get out and vote on a larger scale, including gubernatorial races, Republican GOP primaries and the presidential election. And although these elections might not seem as big or as important as the ones held nationwide, they are if you consider the people who are placed in your Senate have a weighty impact on what happens within the walls of your university.

The Student Senate at GVSU not only organizes popularly, university-wide events like Presidents’ Ball and Battle of the Valleys, they also allocate around $1 million to student organizations each year and are the bridge between students and the administration. Whether you’re a fan of the big-name musicians Spotlight Productions brings to campus each fall or want the day off for Martin Luther King, Jr. day, you can thank Student Senate for the support. They are, in short, the backbone of student life at this university, and the student body owes it to Senate to to take a few minutes to log online and vote.