I've just voted in my uni's elections - most of them.
You see, loads of the positions in the societies I'm a member of either only have one candidate - so it's a formality who wins - or I don't know who they are. As a commuter who doesn't go out clubbing, and is maybe too studious for a first year, that's not a shock whatsoever. And I know I could have just read all the manifestos, been a proper informed citizen of the uni, but I don't care enough to do that. Ultimately, I ended up voting for people who reached out to me directly, even when they didn't need to, because, well, why not?
One thing I can argue is that uni elections aren't that big of a deal. Consider the last general election, and the issues it was fought on - immigration, the economy, energy, etc. My uni's union has nowhere near enough influence for that. Even the chemistry society elections seems to be mainly fought on the issue of "not enough events", because the thing everyone needs most is a better organised board games night at the start of the year.
Okay, maybe I'm being very cynical. But it's not like I disagree with the idea of voting. It's just that I'm so disillusioned by the whole process, it seems so meaningless to me. In two months time, there will be local elections, and for those, I'm more spurred on to vote, because I think my local council is far more important. At Imperial, though...I'm just looking to pass my exams and get a first in three years time.
That said...the elections are somehow more competent than the UK elections. They don't use first past the post! You can abstain! You can vote for the nomination process to start all over again! Those are things I'd love for us to have in general elections - the best we have now are spoiled ballots, which feels like lots of effort to do nothing big at all. Looking at the polls right now, those are three things I think we definitely should have, and yet never will.
Maybe that's very wrong, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on why I'm completely wrong. But as a commuter who is too studious and not social enough, I also don't truly feel like a part of the uni. Like uni is just sixth form part 2, and we never had any elections for those. I'm sure by second year, things will get easier on that front, though.
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