Nominations for the UCDSU Sabbatical and College Officer elections opened last night at 5 pm. Candidates will need fewer signatures this year in order to secure a nomination for the upcoming elections.
Candidates have until Friday the 5th of March at 5 pm to get the signatures needed to get their name on the final ballot. In light of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, the Returning Officer has reduced the number of signatures needed to just 75 signatures needed for nomination to a sabbatical position and 50 to secure a nomination for the College Officer Positions. The number was as high as 150 in the elections for the 2019/20 academic year.
Candidates will be required to pay a 100 Euro deposit, reduced from previous years, which will be returned to the candidates should they stay on the right side of the Union’s campaigning regulations. The complete details of which have not been released to the potential candidates yet.
Candidates will not be allowed any external spending on posters, promotion of social media posts or to use existing social media accounts for campaigning purposes. So, expect to receive a fresh wave of Twitter followers from election hopefuls!
The College Tribune can confirm that should existing nomination hopefuls receive the necessary votes, there will be a contested race for UCDSU Presidency, unlike last year when Conor Anderson was elected in a one-person race.
The full list of sabbatical positions to be filled are UCDSU President, the Welfare, Education, Campaigns & Engagement, Entertainment Officers along with the Graduate Officer.
The elections will take place online again this year with UCDSU the same voting system as last year despite the issues which faced some mobile voters last year. It is understood, however, that the problems which emerged with last year’s election have been dealt with.
Hugh Dooley – News Editor
