This post is the first in a series that I will be doing about this year’s student union elections for Hull University Union. In this one, I will be explaining some of the details of the election, as well as going through some changes. Future posts will see analysis of the candidates (the next two posts), reports about the campaigning/polling days and the final post will be to do with the results night. Along the way I will be taking photos, recording video and audio and tweeting.
Some people say the student union doesn’t matter, but it does. People complain, but they still use the shop and food facilities. Societies that wouldn’t necessarily exist without the union. The same can be said for sports clubs. Getting involved with the union can improve social and general life skills. It can also develop transferable skills that many employers look for. If you vote and choose the candidates who are best suited to the job, then the services that union provide can continue to exist and flourish.
Changes
In each year, we see a different theme. In the last academic year, it was ‘The S Factor’. I feel that it was a good choice as it was related to popular culture. It was also very prominent. This year, the theme is a variant of The Apprentice, called ‘You’re Elected!’. The presence of the theme on the website seems a little underdeveloped so far, but this might change during the polling days.
The biggest change comes as a result of a vote last year to do with changes to the Constitution. For the first time in the history of HUU, there is the opportunity to have a second term in office. This is the maximum allowed by law and is the something that can be seen in many other student unions across the country. It is something that I have been a big supporter of for several years (before I was a sabbatical, which was in 06/07). I believe ti will help to develop consistent strategies and you will also see more consistent decision making. Some say bad officers would stay too long, but the voters can decide whether that happens.
To qualify
The following is from section 17(3) of Standing Order 8001, which is the document that governs elections:
“(3) Must be a registered student for the academic year in which they hold office. Candidates who are debtors of the University will not be registered as students and therefore will not be able to take up their position until the debt has been paid. By signing the nomination form, sabbatical candidates confirm they are not debtors of the University. The University will be asked to confirm all elected officers are registered students.
18. All candidates for election must be bona fide full members of the Union for the academic session in which they are standing as a candidate.”
That section is part of the criteria that you need to meet if you want to be a candidate. According to the Constitution, full members of the Union are full-time and part-time students of the University of Hull. If the above is true, then you might wonder why members of the UEC can be in office after they have completed their studies. They are elected and start their terms before graduation, but they aren’t necessarily students for the entire academic year.
The University’s Academic Information System classes them as students because they aren’t University staff. They aren’t doing any form of qualification though. I think this wording needs to be looked at.
Voting system
The current system for electing MPs is ‘First Past The Post‘, which is designed for elections where only one person is elected. Simply, the person with the most votes wins. However, HUU goes with the type of Proportional Representation approved by the Electoral Reform Society, which is ‘Single Transferable Vote‘ (STV).
The following is an example of some STV results:
Clik here to view.
Example results from an election that uses STV.
In this case, there are four people and R.O.N. (Re-open nominations). If R.O.N. were to win, then there would be a new election. The Droop quota (total votes divided by candidates (including R.O.N.) plus 1) is the number of votes that a candidate has to pass to be considered elected.
R.O.N. is eliminated in the first round and there ballot sheets where he was first and there was a second preference, those second preferences are transferred to the relevant candidates and all others are no longer count. If there is a change in the total votes, the quota is changed. The eleiminations continue until the vote transfers mean that a candidate passes the quota. In the above case, Person B is elected.
It’s quite possible for more than one candidate to pass the quota (ideal for Union Council) and anyone who passes that has to be considered ‘elected’. If more than one passes the quota, then you would have to consider the added complexity of surpluses (an explanation can be found here).
More suitable options would be FPTP or the Alternative Vote. AV is like STV, but is specifically designed for elections where one winner is needed (which means it is no longer Proportional Representation). In that case, the quota is simply 50% of the vote.
Finally…
Re-elections are the biggest change this year. There are officers going for a second term. You would think their experience would be a factor, but previous elections have shown that it is no guarantee of success. For example, some VP Educations (used to be ‘Academic Representation’) have not previously been course reps, but have still won. Membership of a popular department, society or club can be important.
It’s important to vote and make an informed decision. Polling starts at 5pm on February 28th. It closes on March 3rd at 7.30pm. The counting of votes is done by computer and they are announced shortly afterwards.
So, what do you think?