Election Culture Committee

BY ADAM ELYOUSEF

Since the inception of the Election Culture Committee (ECC), it has played a pivotal role in ensuring Guild Elections are run in the best interest of candidates and voters. This year, the Election Culture Committee has worked to implement practices in the interest of all stakeholders, in policies and practice, in consultation with the Western Australian Electoral Commission (WAEC).

Elections can be intimidating for both candidates and voters alike. In recent years, we have seen several concerns being raised by students, leading to the Election Culture Committee being constituted in 2019. The Committee aims to improve election culture by thorough consultation with major stakeholders (students), ensuring their wellbeing during this time of the year.

A primary project of the Election Culture Committee has been undertaken by this year’s Ordinary Committee Members (OCMs), where representatives from every group in the election were interviewed and asked a series of questions. This has allowed concerns and ideas to be brought to the Committee’s attention. Candidates were asked questions concerning the Ballot Draw, the Presidential Debate and conduct at the voting booths. The results were then discussed in one of the ECC’s monthly meetings and will be capitalised on to constitute a report, to be submitted to the WAEC Returning Officer for review.

The OCM’s have taken an active role this year. They are students who do not affiliate to any Group and have observed Guild Elections from a voter’s perspective. They have brought great insight to the Committee as to how we can develop certain initiatives and bring in new ones, such as an expanded fast lane. Several ideas have been discussed in this year’s Committee meetings, and a review of recommendations from the WAEC for the 2021 election were taken into great consideration. The biggest changes included axing the Campaign Week stalls the week before Polling Week, as candidates felt this was draining and made elections a two-week process rather than just the 4 days during Polling Week.

The Committee also conducted a preliminary review for 2021, with several measures coming into place to improve General Guild Elections in upcoming years. In addition, a survey for students to deliver responses based on the 2021 Election will give students the opportunity to have their say in how Elections can be improved and will allow the Committee to focus on areas which affect students more than others.

Discussions around voter engagement and ideal election culture were topics discussed with several candidates in the Guild Elections from previous years. This proves the importance of a body that will advocate for students and their wellbeing first and foremost. This Committee is pivotal to ensure the betterment of Guild Elections for years to come, and the progress that has been seen so far is promising and is a testament to previous Chairs Amy Header and Bre Shanahan, who have worked hard to improve students’ election experience.