The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) has extended the nomination period for its spring elections by one week, until March 11 at 5:00 pm.
The announcement of the extension of the nomination period was made on March 4, one day before the All Candidates Meeting originally scheduled for March 5.
The UTSU has struggled with election participation in the past few years. During last year’s spring elections, only two of the six executive positions were contested. Additionally, the position of vice-president public & university affairs remained vacant throughout the election after the sole candidate dropped out.
In an email to The Varsity, UTSU Chief Returning Officer Cole Currie claimed that the UTSU has been seeing good participation this election season. Currie wrote that the nomination period was extended so that all students would get a chance to run. “This year students are participating in their studies online from around the world, and we found it important to extend the nominations period to allow more chances for more members to participate, should they wish.”
Currie pointed out that the director elections, many of which have been taking place within college and programs, have seen a number of contested positions.
He further noted that, due to the lack of in-person events, students may feel isolated from campus groups, and running for the UTSU can be a positive way of connecting on campus.
Disclosure: Cole Currie was The Varsity’s deputy news editor from 2017-2018.
