Union Lifts Press Ban to Make Elections “Exciting”

The Union is allowing online campaigning and has lifted their press ban during elections to try and get more people voting and avoid another ‘Latnergate’.

A motion passed last night by unanimous vote at a Special General Meeting means that anyone running for President can now use Facebook and other media – such as student press – to convince people to vote for them.

Other changes included:

– Imposing lesser punishments for minor offences
– Changing the Easter election to avoid clashing with exams
– Restoring the name of ‘Vice-President’
– Changing the term of office to run from July

Speaking to The Tab, Union President Lauren Davidson is hopeful that the changes will make it a fairer system with more people voting.

She added: “I’m very happy that these changes got passed tonight by unanimous vote. I hope that the new rules will make Union elections more open, exciting, and inclusive.”

The last election caused embarrassment at the Union after controversial candidate Gabriel Latner was fined 40% of his votes and later disqualified on the day for speaking to the student media. Despite this, the second year Petrean still picked up over a quarter of the votes, in a disappointingly low turnout of just 466.

Asked for his verdict on the rule change, Latner said, “Great news. Only cowards and tyrants are afraid of transparent elections. It seems the wave of democracy sweeping the Middle East has finally reached The Union.”

But, with increased attention this term after the national media publicised the porn debate, that The Tab exclusively broke, perhaps lifting the press ban in elections is the latest attempt to try and attract more people in to the uni’s largest society.

Nominations for election close at 6pm tomorrow.