Incumbent VP Postgraduate Sunday Blake was announced as Guild President last night, winning the position over Jack Watts, Javier Monroy-Yepez, Oliver Bradbear and Yanyao Deng.
In her speech, Blake dedicated her victory to “anyone in the student population struggling with homelessness, addiction, domestic violence… You can become Guild President. Because I did.”
Students’ Guild elections use a preferential ballot system. Blake was elected president at Stage 4 of this process, winning every stage with a final lead of 795 over her closest competitor, Jack Watts. The voter turnout for the role was 3583.
The Guild staff put so much work in to improve the student experience. I’m so glad I get to work with them another year
VP Activities Liv Harvey
Current Guild President Patrick Hoyle noted that “it’s very emotional because I remember where I was this time last year, but the people who have been elected are a team I believe in and I think they can lead this organisation to a place that is far better than it has been in the last few years.”
Both Penny Dinh and Liv Harvey will resume their respective roles as VP Education and VP Activities.
Dinh described her victory to Exeposé as being “honoured that Exeter students put their trust in me for the second year in a row. I want to make Exeter students proud.”
Image: Neha Shaji
Harvey expressed that “if someone had said to me this time last year that I would not only get VP Activities but run again, I would have thought they were joking… The Guild staff put so much work in to improve the student experience. I’m so glad I get to work with them another year and I’m so excited about the team.”
Ruby Jones was elected as VP Welfare and Diversity, while Josip Martincic was announced as VP Postgraduate following his 2018/19 incumbency as Pro-Vice President Postgraduate Research.
Speaking to Exeposé, Jones stated that she was “so honoured to have run against two amazing candidates. Thank you to my team, and I am so excited for the year ahead.”
Ben Hart was elected President of the Athletics Union. Hart won at Stage 3 by a margin of 46 votes – on a turnout of 3266 – against re-running current president Cameron Taylor.
The amount of people who dropped out of this election shows how horrendous this is and I hope that next year I can influence the elections to be nicer
Students’ Guild President-elect Sunday Blake
President-elect Sunday Blake described her experience on the campaign trail.
“We as a campus need to be nicer to those who put themselves forward and try and do good stuff. The amount of people who dropped out of this election shows how horrendous this is and I hope that next year I can influence the elections to be nicer.”
Current president Patrick Hoyle similarly observed that “it’s important that we recognise that running for these positions is not easy.”
Overall voter turnout decreased from last year’s 5609 by 10 per cent, to 5029. 19.5 per cent of the student body voted in this election.
The full voting breakdown can be found here.
Editor: Harry Caton