Ballots have opened to elect CUSU’s President and sabbatical officers for the next academic year. All eyes will be on the vote for the position of President, which has been fiercely fought for by Jack Drury, Daisy Eyre and Keir Murison over the past four days of campaigning.

The three Presidential candidates had their last official face-to-face clash last night, and will spend the coming days canvassing and trying to secure every crucial vote, in what looks set to be a tight race.

The five students running for the remaining sabbatical roles will also look to increase turnout in the votes for their positions, seeking strong mandates to offset the fact that they are all running uncontested by any other candidate.

Hustings for all of the sabbatical roles took place at Mill Lane lecture rooms last night, with the Presidential candidates clashing over how to increase student engagement as well as the role of CUSU within the University.

Elections will also take place for the role of University Councillor, as Josh Jackson and Marcel Llavero Pasquina each attempt to oust the incumbent, Umang Khandelwal. The position, though less prominent than the six sabbatical roles, has already sparked debate, with Jackson strongly criticising Khandelwal on Sunday. The candidates for University Councillor will take part in a separate round of hustings at 8pm tonight.

The election coincide with two referendums on CUSU’s updated Constitution and Standing Orders, with current President Amatey Doku seeking to use the raised turnout to push through modernising changes to the way the student union operates.

Policy Matrix: What do the CUSU presidential candidates believe?

The online vote structure appears to favour Doku’s approach, with the vote on most roles held on the same ballot page as the referendum questions. The votes for Women’s Officer and Disabled Students’ Officer, which are only open to certain self-defining groups, will be held on separate vote pages.

Voting will remain open until 5pm on Friday, 10th March, with results due to be announced by the Elections Committee, led by current Graduate Union President Chad Allen, in the evening. Last year, 3,415 students voted, a turnout of 15.7 per cent.

Varsity is currently conducting a poll on voters’ presidential preferences. You can take part here. To vote in the CUSU Elections, visit the online voting portal