Getting students to vote is somewhat challenging, particularly when it comes to UEA’s annual SU Elections. However, this year’s voting turnout proves that the art of voting is not lost among us students but rather conveys we are more engaged than ever in the politics of our Student Union. This year saw 2537 votes cast, equating to 15.49% of the student body and a 4.5% increase in voting participation from the 2023 elections.

With planning beginning as early as the Christmas break for SU staff, their key focus is on the ‘Nominations Open’ period, raising awareness to as many students as possible about the opportunity to nominate themselves for one of the 19 roles available. A desirable factor to candidates, but unknown to many students, is that Full-time Officer roles (FTO) are paid full-time roles. Once nominations close, the manifestos are due, and candidates’ campaigning begins. At this point on the election timeline, the focal point is on voting, particularly with the leadership elections, which are “a great way to ensure that the union remains student-led.”

This year, as voting closed and we awaited the results, it became apparent voting turnout reached a five-year high. The Activities and Opportunities Officer category received a record 1,664 votes, with Undergraduate education receiving 1,065 votes. The Campaign and Democracy Officer result nearly matched 2023’s turnout with 1,399 votes and Welfare, Community and Diversity Officer, voting reached a six-year high of 1,377. Following suit was Postgraduate Officer, which saw an increase from last year’s vote of 185 to a promising 555 votes.

Our incoming officers reflect on the election…

Discussing their overall experiences of the 2024 election campaign, all five incoming officers broadly agreed they felt a deep sense of community and shared purpose throughout the process. Chris Kershaw – incoming Campaign and Democracy Officer – commented, “Meeting and chatting with the other candidates, students, and a few young looking lecturers really put a spring in my step every day of the campaign”, adding, “The best moments, though, were walking into a classroom to canvass the students, getting asked pointed questions, and leaving knowing that you convinced them to vote (and maybe even for you)”.

Further reflecting on this year’s increased campaigning across campus, Nathan Wyatt – re-elected to the role of Welfare, Community and Diversity Officer – told us, “It was incredibly fulfilling to see people engage and see what we’ve been doing this year and be like, I want a bit of that. It was a real morale boost!”. Nathan also described how, in comparison to his first election (2023), he did ”struggle a little bit in that they were so different”, explaining that a lag in disengagement from COVID meant turnout remained very low, further remarking, “The fact that I had eight people standing against me this year made me realise, sh*t – I do actually have to fight for this and show students I’ve still got it; I’ve still got stuff I want to do!”.

While the officer-elects all agreed there was a general boost to positive engagement with students this year, some described issues with members of UEA Security taking down their banners and posters in pre-approved locations on campus. The incoming Activity and Opportunities Officer, Olivia Hunt, told us, “This was quite a big issue. I had my banner taken down on the first day, which was a bit disappointing, and that was in the Square-approved areas”.

A UEA spokesperson said, “We know that the weeks leading up to SU elections are always a popular time for requests for poster and banner displays, and our security and estates teams work with the SU to support this across campus. Part of this support is identifying suitable buildings and areas on campus for posters.

“Security staff are briefed in advance of where these sites are, and we are not aware of any posters or banners that were removed from any pre-agreed areas in the Square.”

Promptly circling back to more positive events, however, Olivia said, “I really enjoyed the Q&A, but I was so nervous honestly, I was backstage, literally shaking, but all of us were looking after each other!”

With voter turnout increasing by 4.5% this year, our new officers unanimously agreed this was a step in the right direction for student democracy. However, turnout remains comparatively low against other union-based elections, with just 15.5% of the student population participating in the March elections. Reflecting on this, the incoming Undergraduate Education Officer, Rebekah Temple-Fielder, argued, “I think within a union setting, not everyone knows what the officers are really about. They just see their photos in the hive. And if you don’t necessarily know about the system, you might not be as inclined to vote unless somebody comes up to you and tells you to vote” adding, “A higher turnout would be amazing, but I think it’s unrealistic to expect every student on campus to vote.”

Over recent weeks, we’ve had some students tell Concrete how they believe the SU officer election can become too much of a “popularity contest” and that “not enough focus is given to meaningful policy”. Nathan responded by posing the counter question, “I guess I’d put it to them – what makes people popular? If I were to consider myself popular, I’d like to think it’d be because I’m talking about things that students relate to or because I’m a friendly face on campus. Popularity doesn’t necessarily have to be this huge negative; you’ve just got to be able to convince people that you’re the right person for the job”.

Bhaskar Bukkanahalli Shivanna – incoming Postgraduate Officer- also described how “Policy and the manifesto are very important, and candidates do consider this. Most people asked me questions based on my manifesto, so it doesn’t just depend on the popularity”, adding, “I wasn’t popular, but I still won the election. I believe that was due to students engaging with and asking questions about my manifesto.”

You can find full election results and descriptions of the different officer roles by visiting the UEA SU website and selecting the ‘officers’ tab.

Your 2024-25 SU Officers

Olivia Hunt – Activities & Opportunities Officer

• An ‘Open Society Night’

• Increased health and wellbeing awareness and resources

Nathan Wyatt – Welfare, Community & Diversity Officer

• Protecting our venues

• Increased community outreach and engagement

• Action on the cost of food on campus

Rebekah Temple-Fielder, Undergraduate Education Officer

• Student printing allowance

• Continued reform of the academic rep system

• Improvements to timetabling

Chris Kershaw, Campaigns & Democracy Officer

• ‘One member – One vote’ at Union Council

• Empower student activists

• Increased engagement with local activist groups

Bhahaskar Bukkanahalli Shivanna, Postgraduate Officer

• More formals for PGs

• Increased PG engagement with campus activities – Better support systems for international students

Featured Image: Concrete/Roo Pitt