Breaking: Warwick SU U-turns elections, after 'breaching' 3 Laws and misleading the press

After serious allegations of breaking three different laws, Warwick Students' Union has u-turned on their original decision to "reverse" the 2021 Welfare and Campaigns Officer election.

Warwick Student Union confirms that the winner of the election is, indeed duly-elected.

Two weeks ago, the Students' Union had been castigated for their 'dangerous' ruling, overturning an election result, after the appeals period had elapsed. This had been previously unheard of.

At the time, the Union misleadingly informed the Boar that the election had been declared 'null and void', without mentioning the incumbent Returning Officer had, in fact, unilaterally removed 700 votes from the final total, resulting in the election becoming retrospectively below quorum.

This post-election ballot-rigging struck at the heart of student democracy, alarming some fifteen former and current Sabbatical Officers, SU Returning Officers, and local Councillors representing University students.

In the interests of due process and student democracy, the case was escalated, and the 48-hour appeals period, was extended to a week.

During this time, it transpires that the external organisation responsible for running SU elections, had given the Union advice. Regardless of withdrawals or disqualifications (if any), it was explained to the Union that if the election results were untampered, "no votes are lost and preference order is preserved". It beggared belief that someone in the SU had to be told, if 700 votes were NOT removed from the total, then no votes would be lost!

Prior to the correct u-turn, in a statement to student media, the winning candidate, Charlton Sayer, told the Boar, "the advice we have received is that the Student Union have breached their obligation to ‘fair and properly conducted elections’ under the Education Act 1994 by retrospectively changing the goal posts.

We will be appealing this decision, and call on the SU to reconsider their ruling, as it damages trust in Student Union democracy".

If the election had been permanently reversed, the Union did not just stand accused of breaching the Education Act (1994), but also, the Charities Act (2011), and the Companies Act (2006). 

The incoming Sabbatical Officers have a big job ahead, to restore trust in the Union, which observers hope, will respect student democracy, and the laws of the land.

Many students now wonder what steps the Union will take, to prevent votes from being so egregiously removed in the future? Will the University introduce appropriate checks and balances on a body that purports to serve twenty-seven thousand students?

Remember, the University is the Union's largest single funder (~£3 million per annum). It has a duty to ensure student democracy does not get undermined in future years.

"It's the Eye WOT won it!"

Story continues to develop..