Why I won't vote Labour at Student Union Elections

The University of Manchester Student Union elections are on Tuesday 10th March until Thursday 12th March. You might ask, even the politically active among you - what the point is in voting at a Student Union election. There is a fundamental point. Without the student representatives at your student union, many things that happen during your time at University would not come to fruition - including the landmark (and extremely helpful from a personal standpoint), 24 hour opening library times at the University Library during examination periods. The hard work of these students working on your behalf benefits your own university education in more ways than one.

There is however, another point to make. Yes, it is an election, so you could be forgiven for getting all political at a time to exercise a democratic right to vote in such an election. But the work of the student union is about education, not politics. It is about pragmatics, about doing what is right and what is going to benefit your education the most. It is not a place for party politics and to choose a candidate on the basis of what political party society they have their endorsement. In the West Wing, Season 6 at the Democratic National Convention, candidate Matthew Santos argues: “Choose someone who shares your ideals, your hopes, your dreams” - much like Barack Obama in his campaign for ‘Change’ in 2008. That is what voting should really be about, in general elections and student union elections.

More importantly, we should reward the campaigns of those candidates that fight for the student cause: better tutor-student contact, better libraries, ‘friendlier’ student unions. Those that work hard to win your vote are the ones that deserve to win, not the ones that will get ‘block voters’ from those of political party societies.

Every vote counts in these kind of elections with such a small electorate, and even more so with the introduction of online voting. Like in a general election, the main political parties that appeal to their base and yet conquer the middle ground are usually the victors. In student elections, it is easy to vote for somebody because they are a ‘Labour candidate’, without knowing what they are actually going to do for you. Party affiliations in such elections are therefore merely cosmetic, and they are not important in the grand scheme of things.

This is why you should look at the greater picture - not by examining manifestos but knowing that who you vote for will do their hardest for you because they worked hard for your vote, and you know from a glance, what they are for. This is why I will be voting for Cat Taylor (pictured, above) for Humanities General Council Member (University of Manchester), among others. Not out of friendship but because she personally took the time to win my vote. Party ties are insignificant at such a personal and intimate election where change can happen. Your vote at your union, at your university, counts.