First digital student campus election: Are you ready to vote?

The upcoming Student Campus Council (SCC) election, which starts on Monday, 12 October, have had candidates and students of the North-West University (NWU) both excited and nervous about what to expect, due to it being done in a digital manner for the first time.

Despite the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has presented, the SCC on the Potchefstroom campus has adapted to the “new normal” and the annual canvassing of students to serve on the leadership body has been going ahead.

The SCC campaigns and preparation have been online as the relevant committees and candidates adhere to the protocols of the lockdown. Siyadumisa Njeke, a final year law student and part of the Laureus house committee, contends that the digital nature of the elections is appropriate as things can be done online and digitally. “It gives students a free and fair chance to vote,” said Njeke.

On Monday, 28 September 2020, students received SMS communication from the university in which a list with information about the candidates was released by the Independent Students’ Electoral Commission’s chairperson, Soli Maeyane. Among the candidates is the chair of the council and former legal officer, Danielle Giorgic who has described the campaign as ‘hybrid’ – meaning that it consists of both physical and digital elements. “The NWU creates a physical platform whereby you have the opportunity to answer questions that students may have. This has been done at various venues with different time slots,” she said.

The voting period commences on 12 October 2020 and will run for three days. The results will be published on 23 October 2020. Furthermore, the voting and election of candidates will take place on digital platforms namely the Independent Student Electoral Commissionsʼ e-Fundi page, the Campus Election Coordinating Team’s e-Fundi page and the universityʼs website. These SCC elections will be taking place on all NWU campuses and each campus will have its own group of representatives. 

Mokgadi Phaala, a third-year Human Resource Management student says she will not vote because campus politics could become time-consuming.

On the other hand Karabo Modikoe, a third-year Communication student says, “I will be voting because it’s a student’s duty to do so since we will be benefiting from it.” – Politics desk