The Student Senate is currently considering a bill that would allow senators to propose legislation anonymously. Supporters of the measure hope it will encourage members to tackle controversial issues they might not ordinarily be willing to broach.

There are very good reasons to support the bill’s passage. Senate Chief of Staff Alex Ehmke, one of the bill’s sponsors, argues that too many important issues are neglected because senators fear social and political repercussions for supporting policies that may be unpopular. “It’s just really important to protect people from external pressure,” he said. In addition, some senators claim that good legislation is ignored for personal reasons.

Ehmke is probably right; peer pressure is a powerful tool, especially at our age, and often college students don’t do what they think they should for fear of social castigation. That paralysis can keep necessary legislation from passing the Student Senate. But there’s a larger issue at stake.

We have a right to know who sponsors what legislation in the body we elect. Without that knowledge, we have no real voice in our government. For voting to mean anything, we need to know exactly whom we’re voting for and what they stand for. Otherwise, we cannot make an informed decision about our elected leaders, nor can we hold them accountable if we disagree with their policies while in office.

I applaud Ehmke and his co-sponsor, William Badarak, for trying to encourage the Senate’s engagement with difficult issues. But their bill takes an important right away from the student body and makes it too difficult to hold our senators accountable. The Senate should vote against the bill and find a better solution to this legitimate problem.