£4.3 Million at Sake in Union Elections

£4.3 MILLION is the staggering sum of money your fourteen Students' Union Executive members have control over.

Student Direct are encouraging our readers to vote in this week's Union elections to decide who controls the purse strings next year.

Last year less than one in eleven students bothered to vote in the elections to decide how the Union's bumper budget is used.

The Executive Committee make all the Union's major decisions – and were the people to give the go-ahead to the re-building of the Academy.

The Committee decide what the Union should be focusing on and how it should be done.

Union officers have influence over what societies do, how campaigns are run and what should be sold in the shop, all with a huge budget at their disposal.

The Editor of this very paper will be chosen by those who take the time to cast their vote this week.

Who represents Manchester students to the University and provides the welfare and support to all Union members will also be decided in these elections.

The eight full time officers are paid a total £116,000 to make the big decisions.

Last year just 2,635 University of Manchester students correctly filled in their ballot paper – 8.8 percent of all people eligible to vote.

In 2006, 3,569 voted in the elections – which was 11.8 percent.

UMSU is the largest Students' Union in country and is renowned for being one of the most politicised and having one of the largest sums of money at their disposal.

Jeff Meddemmen, Deputy Returning Officer in these elections, said that it was crucial for students to vote.

"It is this week you all have a say in who is elected and thus how the Union is run next year," he said.

"If you don't vote then you forfeit the right to complain if the elected officers don't perform, now is the opportunity to use your power to improve the Union."

Polling runs from 10am – 6pm from Tuesday to Thursday, with extended voting hours on Wednesday with polls staying open until 8pm. Students can vote in the Students' Unions on North Campus and South Campus.

The count begins at 6pm on Thursday evening and should be completed by midnight.