The 2025 UMSU elections are coming up! Every year, the students at the U of M can vote for an executive team and community representatives to speak and act on the student body’s behalf. This year, the campaigning period is between Feb. 24 and March 5 and voting will occur on March 6 and March 7. At 6 p.m. on March 7, we will know who our new UMSU representatives are.

The majority of students do not vote, with only a 16.8 per cent voter turnout in the 2024-25 UMSU annual general election — down from 22.8 per cent in 2023-24.

In my opinion, the student election campaigns are the most exciting things on campus during the winter semester, for a few reasons. Firstly, the posters. They are plastered all over campus and not only are they fun to look at, but they also give us insight into all the candidates. Because posters are so small, campaigners can only incorporate a limited amount of information and so we learn so much about what each candidate values by observing what they decide to include in their posters.

We can make inferences about them by considering the quality of their posters. Did they include a picture? If they did, was it serious or casual? What are the key points of their campaign? All these minute details help connect us to one candidate or the next and give students something besides their studies to ponder.

I also enjoy the lecture room pop-ups. They once again force candidates to condense their ideas and only touch on what is most important to them. This shows students what each campaigner values most. I find that the lectures humanize the people vying for UMSU positions. We get to see them face to face and hear their voices, which increases our likelihood to connect with them. Not to mention, most of these talks end with the distribution of lollipops, cookies or chocolate, which really brightens up the day.

Lastly, the profiles in the Manitoban. While most of the other aspects of campaigns require candidates to shorten their ideas, these interviews give them the opportunity to express their thoughts and ideas for the school at length. They can go in-depth about what they feel our campus needs and how they feel they can provide it. Voters can make better judgments on which candidates’ approach most aligns with their own hopes and needs for the university.

Despite all this, I and many other students did not cast a vote last year. And if I am being honest, I am not sure if I will be voting this year either.

One of the reasons students do not vote is because they assume a particular candidate has already won. Sometimes, during elections, there is a clear favourite and when students sense this, they feel like their vote will not matter against a majority. Whether or not they support this candidate, they may feel like their vote is a drop in the ocean — so why waste the time casting a vote if it will not affect the outcome of the elections?

More so, some may simply not care. Between juggling a hectic academic schedule and other commitments, students may feel like student politics is the least of their worries. Why waste time learning about candidates and placing votes when there is homework to be done and tests to study for? Linked to the lack of hope and abundance of apathy is the reason I am not keen to vote. While reflecting on this past year, I am unable to identify a few things the UMSU representatives have done that have directly affected my academic life or, generally, my life on campus.

I feel that next year around this time, my feelings will be the same. I do not see the point in taking the time to vote when I am not convinced that anything will come from my vote. A few of my friends have expressed the same sentiment. We all seem to share the feeling that our votes will not change anything. Nothing is more dissuasive than the feeling that you will put in effort for no real result.

I appreciate the effort and care that goes into the student elections, but I think students need more than just an exciting election period, we need to see that same commitment throughout the year. We want to see changes being made and look back at the year and know that our votes counted for something. I feel that if students do not get that, students will continue to walk right past the ballot box.