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Your vote counts

Election fever may be about to grip the nation, with Gordon Brown and David Cameron set to do battle at the polls, but we’ve got our very own elections here at º£½ÇÖ±²¥.

Students at the University are getting ready to vote for the four people they want to lead their Students’ Union for the coming year. The annual Executive Officer Elections run from Monday 1 March to Thursday 4 March and will decide who takes on the roles of President, Education Officer, Student Activities Officer and Campaigns and Welfare Officer from July.

Executive Officers oversee the running of the Students’ Union on behalf of the student body, represent student opinion to the University’s senior management and run campaigns to raise awareness about various issues.

A total of 14 candidates are fighting it out for the four positions and to increase voting opportunities the Students’ Union is using electronic voting for the first time, so students can vote on-line or at ballot stations around the campus.

Democracy keeps moving Tom Cawkwell, outgoing President of the Students’ Union, said: ‘I think me and my fellow Officers, Nat, Jules and Mark, have all got mixed feelings about the elections as it means our time is coming to an end and we’re all going to miss our respective jobs terribly.

‘However, democracy keeps moving on and this promises to be an incredibly exciting election with a great selection of candidates lined up to succeed us. It’s never been more important to have really strong student leaders across the country given the various threats to higher education funding and places at the moment.

‘My main ambition for the elections is to make sure it’s a really great advertisement for student democracy with a large proportion of students getting engaged in the debates and then going on to vote. We want to see a massive turn out from a well informed electorate - who knows, it might inspire them to go on and vote in the General Election.’

The results of the Executive Officer Elections will be announced in the Students’ Union on the evening of Thursday 4 March.

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