On 3rd to 7th September the students in Melbourne University went to polls to elect a new batch of student leaders for the year 2018/2019. The yearly elections are held to elect new leaders in University of Melbourne Student Union who represent all the UniMelb students.
Polling stations in the university opened at 10-11 am as student flocked the venue to choose the fellow who will represent them in the coming year. Usually, the top job in the elections is that of the president who is the student’s spokesperson and is expected to attend several meetings. The second top job is that of the general secretary who runs the student council and addresses matters of governance.
This year two major groups, The More! And Stand Up! Made a deal to contest for the OB positions. Other smaller factions that took part in the campaigns are the Melbourne socialist, the biggest blackest tickets and independent media.
In this year’s elections the stand up! Secured a win for every position contested for except for the general secretary. This was a big change from last year where they lost all the leadership positions to the more!. Indeed this has been one of the most competitive races the university had in many years.
There was drama with claims that doors to the count room of the elections were left open. This adds to the drama that saw a major ticket More! Receive two campaign banners for one and a half hours on Friday.
Speaking after being elected the president University of Melbourne Student Union, Molly Willmott from Stand Up! Thanked the student for smooth election period and applauding the returning officers for ensuring that the results were not tampered with.
Elections in University of Melbourne Student Union facilitate the elections of new representatives in the University of Melbourne Student Union who are charged with the responsibility of students matters such as clubs, services, and activities. In this year’s elections, two factions stood out in pursuit of positions to run the council, the More ! and Stand Up!. The council now consists of 15 general representatives and six elected representatives of special groups which are students of color, students with disabilities, indigenous, and international, postgraduate and queer students.
