I haven't usually agreed with Gessler's positions in the past, and I honestly don't remember voting in student council elections or even paying much attention to them :) but... I do think there's a kernel of important truth in what Gessler wrote: When we say something is an election, we shouldn't lie about it by not honoring the result. It sends a terrible message to say "You get to vote for such and such" then not have the vote honored. That sets up students to accept faked/tilted/undemocratic elections when they really matter. "My vote doesn't count." That really is like Iran. If a high school doesn't plan to honor the result of the vote, then they should announce that in advance and not use the word "election". If they want to call it the "Non-binding Student Council Recommendation Survey", no problemo. But don't teach kids that their votes in an "election" don't actually matter. Terrible thing to teach them, to the detriment of real democracy everywhere.