Every year, students vote for the eight full-time Executive Officers to lead the University of Manchester Students’ Union (SU). Here is The Mancunion’s preview.
From the 28th of February, voting will be open for the roles of General Secretary, Education Officer, International Students’ Officer, Women’s Officer, Liberation and Access Officer, Activities and Development Officer, Welfare and Community Officer and Postgraduate Students’ Officer.
58 candidates are running for the various roles and have now begun campaigning on social media and around the Students’ Union. Fatima Abid, Lizzy Haughton, Sara Khan, and Olivia Meisl are all running for re-election.
Polling stations can be found in the SU, North Campus, and Owens Park, Fallowfield. Voting opens at 12pm on 28th February and closes at 5pm on 7th March. Results are expected at 8pm on the same day.
The SU are offering daily incentives and prizes in an effort to drive voter turnout. Incentives include free food from the SU, and prizes include guest-list at an Academy gig and a £50 Uber ride.
Manchester Students’ Union is the largest in the country and represents over 40,000 students — but previous SU elections have struggled with low levels of turnout and been characterised by student apathy. Last year, just 19.8% of students voted in the Executive Officer elections, although this was amongst the highest in the country.
When asked why the SU elections are important and why students should vote, Riddi Viswanathan, the current International Students’ Officer, said: “This is one chance were all University students can make their voices heard, in fact, this is the time where they can reshape what the SU and the university looks like by electing their leadership.
“I don’t think they should miss out on the chance to exercise their democratic rights because the elected leaders do so much and they leave a very good impact on student life. I don’t see why students would lose this opportunity [and] not vote.”
You can find more information about the elections, including a full list of candidates, daily incentives and prizes on the SU website.
For full coverage of the election, visit The Mancunion’s live blog.
