Students’ Union elections smash turnout records

Over 13264 students have voted in the University of Manchester Students’ Union (UMSU) Executive elections, smashing the national record of 11501 set by the University of Nottingham last year.

Last year, just 5997 University of Manchester students voted in the election, causing some commentators to talk of a crisis of apathy within the UMSU.

This morning, the number of votes cast stood at 9680. Having hit 12000 at 3pm, the decision was taken to extend the voting deadline to 5pm due to a technical fault, meaning that tonight’s final total is likely to be much higher.

This now means that whoever gets elected to the 2015/16 Executive will command the largest mandate ever held by a UMSU sabbatical team.

Reacting to the news, a spokesperson for University of Manchester Students’ Union said: “We are absolutely over the moon with the turnout so far. Manchester students have made history by taking part in the biggest Students’ Union election ever in the UK.

“12000 votes is beyond what we originally hoped for and we couldn’t be prouder of the student body today. The candidates have all worked so incredibly hard over the last few weeks and they should all be congratulated on their amazing efforts.”

Conor McGurran, Campaigns and Citizenship Officer of UMSU, said: “The incredible turnout for this year’s elections is testament to the unbelievable work that the staff at the Union have put in. The Student Voice team in particular have worked tirelessly to get students involved in choosing their representatives for the next year.

“The candidates and their supporters should also be congratulated for running some fantastic campaigns, and the positive tone of this year’s races has been really encouraging.”

He added further: “The impressive turnout is indicative of the direction that the SU is moving in, with a dedicated staff team that strives to empower students to have a stake and a say in their Union.”

Voting is now closed. The Mancunion can reveal that 61.3% of votes were cast in the last two days of voting.