Society elections: free and fair?

Hundreds of freshers have joined different societies at the start of Term 1 hoping to make the most of their society experience. Their expectations are high, and free and fair elections are a given. But this may not always be the case.

In this context, debates pertaining to the composition of electorates and to whether or not voting procedures are truly democratic, have taken on particular salience.

There are rules in place which govern elections procedures to make them fairer, such as a requirement for secret ballots, Lucy Reynolds, Societies Sabbatical Officer, told the Boar. In instances of more than one candidate standing for election to a post, each must be given a free and fair opportunity to make a campaign speech.

In addition, only full members of any society may hold executive positions and, if need be, an impartial Sabbatical Officer may be asked to attend and oversee the proceedings.

Lucy pointed out that “with over 200 active societies on campus, it is hard to regulate all elections, but common sense usually prevails and a fair outcome is in the interests of everyone.”

However, there is evidence that rules are not always adhered to. For example, in many society elections voting takes place without the quota being fulfilled.

Although the Society Constitution requires that all General Meetings of societies have a quorum of 20 per cent of their total membership present, many fail to achieve this during their elections.

One reason for this is that many people sign up for membership at the Societies Fair but do not go on to actively participate in their chosen society; they remain on official lists, artificially boosting member numbers and by extension, quorum figures.

Warwick RAG, for instance, found a solution last year. “RAG has well over 500 members, but we set ourselves a realistic target for the election meeting, which we reached”.

A further problem that contributes to the seeming un-democratic nature of such elections is that non-members have been participating in the voting process. A member of the Poker Society told the Boar that “…friends of some candidates who weren’t members of the society and turned up and voted.”

Aside from policing ones’ own society elections more rigorously, if a member of any society is unhappy with the way an election has been conducted, they can make a complaint to the Student Union, which will be duly investigated. If the evidence proves satisfactory, the Union can require the society in question to hold its elections again.