However, the turnout for the hearing still needs to grow. The Senate room has space for dozens of people, but only six students and one journalist filled the seats. This made for a slightly larger group than the Central Electoral Office itself, which was represented by six people.
Chair of the electoral office Job van Maurik led the hearing. He reviewed, among other things, the number of eligible voters per electoral district. Based on these numbers, the electoral office determines which faculty or department will receive a second seat in the council (there are nine electoral districts and twelve seats). This year, Erasmus MC/ESHPM will receive two seats, as will the ESSB and the Professional Services.
New party
Eight student lists are participating in the elections. The existing lists will appear on the ballot in order of size (the website verkiezingen.eur.nl). Liberi Erasmi is at the top with five seats, followed by OUR Erasmus (three seats), Erasmus Student Coalition (three) and the Progressive Students Party (one).
A newcomer is Erasmus International, a party hoping to increase the number of international students in the council. In addition, there are three lists consisting of one candidate each: Damia Mutlu, Anureg Sameriya and Andrea Perez. In total, there are 98 candidates on the list. OUR Erasmus is the only party with the maximum allowed number of thirty. There are only twelve seats available for students.
Lottery bowl
The order of the four new lists was established for the first time this year by lottery. There was a bowl on stage, from which a member of the electoral office drew balls one by one. The lottery determined that Erasmus International will be fifth on the ballot, followed by the three individual candidates.
During the questions segment, there was a brief discussion about irregularities during last year’s election campaign. One candidate had distributed Kinder Bueno bars, allegedly in exchange for a vote, according to witnesses. That action went unpunished at the time.
This year, however, things will be different, Van Maurik announced. A new hearing will take place on 22 April following the elections. Complaints about the campaign can be raised there directly. According to Van Maurik, electoral fraud will not go unpunished: it may result in a retraction of the campaign budget, and if the elections are significantly influenced, they may need to be redone.
The conclusion of the hearing marked the official start of the election campaign. Voting will take place from 9 to 16 April at verkiezingen.eur.nl.
