UMSU elections rundown

Tessa Vanderhart

The theme of this year’s UMSU elections seems to be change, change, and more change — no candidates are allied with the incumbents, and most are new to UMSU council. This year’s three slates is a marked change from last year’s single slate of UMSU executive candidates, including incumbent president Garry Sran.

As a result, this election will be one of the most contested that most undergrads can remember. In fact, when interviewing the candidates, I asked them all to take part in a quiz — asking who was UMSU president five years ago, at the time of the last major shift in the UMSU executive. Not a single candidate knew the answer.

To put this in perspective, these five young adults will soon be in charge of a $10.6 million budget — of student money.=

More details from these interviews are available at the Manitoban’s election blog, accessible at election.themanitoban.com, including the audio and full transcripts. Further information is posted at umsu.ca/election, the official chief returning officer website.

As with any UMSU election, expect a significant number of rule violations (as of press time, two had been officially ruled on). These will be posted on the UMSU office door, as well as on the CRO’s door in the Helen Glass building.

If you’re wondering exactly what it is these people do and why they do it, it shouldn’t be hard to figure out — their posters fill the entirety of the designated postering area in the university by now. So hold on tight, and get ready to vote on March 5, 6, and 7.

And don’t forget: election.themanitoban.com.