Less than two-thirds of UIMSAites cast their votes in the UIMSA 2024 Elections, with only 551 students, or about 59.31%, participating. One could blame it on the constant decline of interest in UIMSA politics, evidenced by the nearly empty manifesto night. Or the technical difficulties faced on the election day, which could have frustrated voters. Either way, the fact remains the same; voter turnout was low, with only the 200 and 300 Level classes having more than 100 voters.
This was not the only interesting statistic from the elections. For the first time in recent years, the Senate was majorly filled, as only the 200 and 500 Level classes did not fill the available six slots. This is quite in contrast to the expected, as the senate had a total of 21 meetings in the 2022/2023 tenure, the highest in recent history, which should usually deter UIMSAites. One could argue that the innovative idea of the Senate Hangout had an effect on this turnout, but one cannot be sure. This good fortune opens up the possibility of a full Senate house after co-option.
The Congress however cannot boast of this. Out of 50 available Congress slots in total, only 22 indicated interest. This is a significant difference when compared to the Senate, which had 37 aspirants and only 30 total available slots. No class filled their 10 Congress positions. This disinterest in the Congress also affected the Congress leadership elections, as up until this week, there was no Congress Chancellor.
All these facts point to one thing: the tenure is shaping up to be interesting. Good luck to all the Executives, Senators and Congress members in navigating a unique tenure.
Jan.
