Abstract
This report carries out extensive background research to the election process of Leeds Metropolitan University Students Union (S.U.) and the attitudes of students attending the University. The findings show that students do not feel there is an effort to engage them in the S.U. election process with a clear lacking in overall communication. Candidates then face difficulty in accessing students who have an National Union of Students (N.U.S) membership card which enables them to vote, as many students are either a) unaware of the rewards of voting and owning a membership card, or b) do not feel any personal benefits of associating with the S.U. The report concludes with realistic ways to improve communications over the election process to result in raised levels of voting numbers. Key recommendations emphasis the need of increased and improved communication channels with students about the elections, through the S.U. and supported by the University. This requires the augmentation of advertising about the elections so students are aware of why they should vote, who they can vote for, when voting is taking place, where voting can be done and how to vote. The Student Union is experiencing significantly low levels of participating members, and more specifically, members who take part in voting. This is a nationwide problem, reflecting the poor general voting turnout at a governmental level as well. People no longer feel obliged to vote, it is not considered to be part of the ‘norm' (Rogders, 2006). The Student Union is legally a separate entity from the University, however they are closely related, in that the Student Union (S.U.) receives finance from the University and the University uses the Union as a communication channel with its students.
