Low turnout rates for this year’s University Council Elections

The elections for the new student members of the University Council were closed yesterday after nine days since their opening. The results show generally low turnout rates across all faculties. Overall, no faculty reached a turnout percentage higher than 20.

In detail, the highest turnout percentage was recorded by the Erasmus School of Law with 16.65 percent. Mark van Leeuween and Marc-Vincent Spanjersberg were the most voted with 252 and 174 votes respectively. The Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) and the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSW) respectively scored 13.22 percent and 11.68 percent. Abdurrahman Calkin and Luc Oudenes were voted for ESE, distancing themselves from the third candidate by more than 100 votes. FSW voters preferred Boutaina Faris and Kimberly Walden as their representatives in the University Council.

The lowest turnout percentage was scored at the Rotterdam School of Management. Only 7.77 percent of eligible voters casted a vote. Nadine Nieuwstad and Yuliia Ponomarenko were elected representatives, the first one with a gap of over 200 votes on the second one. There was no vote casted for the Faculty of Philosophy and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences where there were just enough candidates to cover the available seats. Wies. Bontje and Daniel Sieczkowski will represent Erasmus MC, whereas Aleid Barmentlo will represent the Philosophy Faculty. The Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication presented no candidates this year.

Overall little choice

This year’s UC Elections presented the voters with a rather restricted pool of candidates. The figures speak for themselves as only there were only 22 student’s candidates for 12 available spots in the U- Council. Furthermore, none less than three faculties did not need to make a choice as candidates were just enough or none existing.

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• Precious little choice at University Council elections