With fifty two candidates running, this election was certainly a tough competition. After they gave it their all at the rally, strongly campaigned via social media and probably handed you multiple flyers over the last few weeks, everyone was more than ready for this night. This year, the election also saw a record of voting numbers, with 1000 more participants than last year.
A quick recap of the voting system: single transferable system. Voters ranked their top candidates, and if their first ranked candidate did not meet the threshold, then the vote transfers over to their second ranked candidate. For all positions, there was also the option to Re-Open nominations (RON).
On 7 March, The Venue was lit up in beautiful colours and blasting a playlist that was hyped up the crowd as the candidates nervously awaited the results.
Our two stellar presenters of the election period, Callum Borkowski and Dhwani Masand, took the stage and everyone’s breath away. In stunning NUSU-fashion blue and red outfits, they kept the crowd engaged throughout the night.
After a few words from our current NUSU officers, it was time to announce the Chair of Council, Chair of Scrutiny and the Liberation Officers. Our new chair of council, Abdul Alghamdi, beat his opponent Oliver Tierney by a narrow vote. However, the crowd was left slightly disappointed as the first winner of the night was not present to introduce himself on stage. The presenters swiftly moved on to announce the role of Chair of Scrutiny. Sophia Dolan was the only candidate to run and won by 1296 votes against RON. Sophia was there to happily accept her win.
Next up were the Liberation Officers. These are part-time volunteer positions representing students on campus. They are here to ensure that underrepresented voices in society and higher education have a platform to be heard within the university community. Newly elected Ethnic Diversity Officer Yibao Yu, unfortunately absent on the night, beat competitor Kasra Mojaverisamak 864 to 414 votes. Three candidates ran for International Students Officer, and Yunru Deng will be the new representative, expressing her excitement on stage to “create new opportunities for our international community”. Another position with only one running candidate was Working Class Students’ officer and Matilda Hardy was successfully elected for this role. It was then time to find out who will be Faith or Belief Officer, and with incumbent Hafsa Niaz being the only candidate, it was no surprise she was re-elected. A pleasant surprise though was her prepared speech, in which she promised to continue to fight for support and solidarity on campus and hopes “to not only live up to your expectations but exceed your expectations”.
No nominations were received for the positions of disability, LGBTQ+, Marginalised genders and Parents, guardians and carers officers. These vital roles are yet to be filled, and all students are encouraged to nominate themselves to ensure support and representation for these communities.
As well as the candidates, students and staff voted for whether to leave or remain in the NUS, the National Union of Students that represents the interests of over seven million students across the UK. You may have noticed groups of students on campus handing out flyers, encouraging everyone to vote to remain–and they successfully campaigned as a whopping 1127 to 221 said YES to NUS!
After this announcement, a brief intermission began, in which attendees filled the room with chatter over the newly selected officers and predictions about the Sabbatical positions to be revealed. Soon the presenters returned to the stage, to announce the answers to everyone’s conversations.
The first position after the break was the Opportunities officer. After a tight race between eight candidates, James Geary won on a campaign aimed at integrating home and international students. Next up was the Sports officer, in which Alex Duggan was victorious for the second year in a row, earning a roaring applause from the audience as the first officer to successfully rerun. Duggan won by a landslide, over 300 votes, and is honoured to be in this position for another year. Following this joyous win came the Student Media officer reveal. This role is essential in managing The Courier, NUTV, and NSR and proved to be a tight competition between five candidates. Libby Griffiths prevailed and sincerely promised “I’m going to take such good care of you.”
Gina Tindale’s Squid Game themed campaign paid off as she excitedly claimed Academic officer, thanking her friends for their help in carrying out her fun strategy. The largest race followed with twelve candidates battling to be the new Wellbeing & Communities officer. Lilly Allan secured the position running on a mission focused around de-stigmatizing sexual health and choices. On stage, she gave a shout-out to her friends who supported her through this journey. Finally, a long and loud drum-roll filled the room as it was time to announce the last position: Union President. Six candidates fought hard to earn this distinguished role, but in the end Ilsa Hartley took home the title. Hartley accepted the position gratefully, noting that she wanted to “give back to the union that’s given so much to me.”
With all of the positions announced, the presenters signed off for the night and the crowd slowly headed home. On the way out, attendees stopped briefly to check the exact voting numbers, curious about how close each race was. Winners celebrated with friends, overjoyed with their accomplishments from weeks of hard work.
A big thank you to the immense effort put in by all candidates and their campaign teams. The care that each candidate has for this student body is commendable and does not go unnoticed. Additionally, thank you to the students who made their voice heard by voting in this election. Congratulations to all of the new officers, but win or lose, this results night was one to remember and continues to be a valued night for the student community!