Students were asked to cast their votes for the SRC elections early this March, while 77% of candidates ran unopposed
The SRC elections closed on 5 March following a 4-day-long campaign. Out of 41 positions available, only 26 have been filled, with 15 remaining vacant. 77% of the candidates were elected unopposed (20 out of 26), including the president. This marks the first time in three years since a president was elected without opposition. Three Welfare and Equal Opportunities Officers positions (Age Equality Officer, and Widening Participation Officer) remain vacant, as well as 57% of School Representatives, with only one candidate out of 21 having an opposition. Similar results were recorded two years ago at the 2024 Spring elections, which saw 26 people getting elected, of which 20 were unopposed, and 16 positions remained vacant. Whilst some positions might be filled during the Autumn elections, the 2025 Autumn elections also showed relatively low representation: 18 positions were available, of which 11 were filled (four of which were unopposed), and seven remained vacant.
Voting attendance has also been the lowest since 2023. The total number of votes for the sabbatical positions was 3,335, with a total of 1,072 votes cast in the presidential race. In contrast, last year, the same race recorded more than double the votes with a total of 2,424 votes.
Last year, the University celebrated the high engagement recorded during the Spring elections 2025: a total of 5,419 votes were cast for the sabbatical officer positions, and the University recorded 4,228 students voting during the elections. The University counted this as the highest turnout since 2017 and the second highest in 15 years. Whilst last year’s turnout was high relative to previous years, this year’s turnout represents a 38% drop in the number of votes cast.
During the Spring elections, students are called to vote to elect the most important figures in the student representation: the Sabbatical Officers and Welfare and Equal Opportunities Officers for the academic year 2026/27. The role of Sabbatical Officer is a full-time position for which the person elected is paid a salary of £25,249. The Sabbatical Officers’ main responsibility is to represent students at UofG. They act as a link between the student body, the SRC and the University, and they are responsible for maintaining a constructive relationship with the University, external organisations, and other student bodies on campus. There are four positions available within the Sabbatical team: President, Vice President (VP) Education, VP Student Activities, and VP Student Support.
For the next academic year, law student Molly Corbett has been elected as SRC President, Ben Jones as VP Education, Natasha Pooley as VP Student Activities and Hannah Watters as VP Student Support. The four had formed an informal coalition entering the elections, promoting each other as well as their own campaigns via social media.
The Glasgow Guardian contacted the SRC for comment.
