Vote R.O.N: Why sometimes no-one is the best option

So, another SU election has passed – you must now contain your excitement until we get some new sabbs. As with every year, we have the same old gags about people voting for R.O.N. (that is, to re-open nominations). But in practice, there is an incredible reluctance to actually do so. Why is that the case?

The main reason is a fairly obvious one. No one really cares about these elections, so there is no particular inclination to R.O.N. for anyone. It’s hard enough to get people to vote at all – I personally don’t understand what these people are going to do. I doubt I’m alone in that.

We’re never going to see them again after they’re elected anyway – the sole purpose of this role seems to be something to brag about for the few that choose to try to become sabbs. People should R.O.N. in all of these elections, if they give a toss enough to vote at all. After all, we aren’t being offered any meaningful choice – if you’ve ever wanted the thrill of lapsing into a coma, read their manifestos.

No-one really cares about these elections, so there is no particular inclination to R.O.N. anyone

Everyone promises the same thing year after year, and they can’t deliver it. I’ve been here for four years, reading the same things at every election. I always vote, but my decisions are often arbitrary when I don’t R.O.N. If one of my friends isn’t running, it’s often down to things like how smug someone looks in their picture.

We suffer a problem, though. Aside from a few diehards, no one cares about this stuff. So, if R.O.N. managed to win, we’re likely going to see exactly the same faces, nominating themselves again and again until they win or until the last syllable of recorded time, whichever is sooner.

I’ve been here for four years, reading the same things at every election

In an ideal election, the victory of R.O.N. would guarantee better candidates putting themselves forward, and previous candidates asking what exactly it was that rendered them unappealing prospects. Here, it just means the same person will get the job a month later, and you have to suffer more SU emails about elections and the spectre of the giant orange monster running around campus claiming your vote matters (spoiler: it doesn’t, unless you have a really strong yearning for identikit candidate B).

If enough of us voted for R.O.N., perhaps something in SU democracy would take note, but I highly doubt it. And that, really, is the big problem with R.O.N. – a vote to re-open nominations is only worth considering if it would bring around any meaningful difference, and in SU elections, it simply won’t.