By Jack Cross
It is 5 PM on Friday 6 September 2024 (at least, it is when this gets posted). The yearly ritual of Guild elections has begun. The next thirteen days will decide who sits on the 112th Guild Council and directs the Guild’s policy and resources for the next year.
Elections can be confusing, particularly for new students. Pelican hopes to be of some assistance.
What is the Guild?
The UWA Student Guild is the union for the students of UWA. With its considerable budget (most of it coming from its share of SSAF payments), the Guild provides services and advocacy for students.
Most cafés on campus are run by the Guild, as is the Tavern. It is a landlord for the IGA and the other outlets in the Refectory. It provides support and runs events through its various departments, such as the Access, Environmental, and Sport Departments (to name a few), and coordinates the Guild Volunteering program.
The Guild is also the primary mechanism for students to talk to the university. For example, it has done considerable work this year to improve the parking situation, enforce universal submission times, and reform the special consideration system.
You are almost certainly a member of the Guild, unless you are one of a tiny minority who choose to manually opt-out (which can be done through studentConnect).
Why should I care who runs it?
Aside from the university, the Guild has the biggest impact on your experience as a student. Its resources are extensive and what it chooses to direct them towards will have a major influence on life at UWA.
You’re also paying for it. A big portion of the SSAF payments collected by the university are passed on to the Guild.
Obviously, it’s better to have these resources used on things you want, rather than things you don’t want. You have a direct interest in ensuring that the Guild is run by students with the same priorities as you.
What are we voting on?
Votes will be cast to elect members of Guild Council. The Council is made up of several office bearers who have a specific portfolio (such as the President of the Societies Council, Women’s Officer, and Sports Representative) and thirteen members who have no specific portfolio called Ordinary Guild Councillors.
Most importantly, the Council is lead by the Guild President, who takes a year away from study to work fulltime directing the Guild. They also take a seat on the UWA Senate, the governing body of the University.
Who are we voting for?
You’ll be hearing from them very soon, mainly in the form of Facebook friend requests and DMs.
The full list of candidates in ballot order is available here. All candidates have made a personal statement, which you can read here.
Pelican will be publishing profiles of the groups and candidates in the coming days – if you want a spin-free explanation, probably just wait for those.
How does the group system work?
Groups are, as the name suggests, a group of students running under a common brand and with a common platform. They are sometimes incorrectly referred to as a party: groups are not like political parties, because a party exists permanently and independently of its candidates.
How do I vote?
Voting is not compulsory. It is done through an optional preferential system. You will be given a ballot for each position, with boxes next to the names of the candidates. You place a 1 in your most preferred candidate. This is a valid vote. If you have a second favourite, you number their box 2, and so on. Numbering multiple boxes increases the chance of your vote counting: if a candidate doesn’t get enough votes, they are eliminated, and votes for them flow on to the remaining candidates. If that sounds confusing, see this explainer from the WAEC (who run the Guild election) or this video from the ABC.
Polling places are available as follows:
You can apply for a postal vote here.
The presidential candidates will go head-to-head on Tuesday in the annual debate, more details here.