Do you already know who you'll vote for?

Students can cast their vote for the students they want to present them in the faculty councils and the University Council. For the latter, you can vote for four parties: Lijst Vuur, the Party for the Utrecht Student (PvdUS), the Free Student Party (VSP) and Better Living for Students (BLFS). The following guide details their positions on six important themes: sustainability, diversity and inclusion, student wellbeing, student life, education and internationalisation. It provides an overview of the positions of each party, which this year are further apart than in previous years.

Voting guide
VSP differs from Lijst Vuur and PvdUS on many themes, especially concerning intellectual freedom and freedom of expression. According to them, identity politics and symbolic measures can be counterproductive for the university, making it less inclusive instead. When it comes to student wellbeing, they emphasise students' own responsibility in the matter, which puts them at odds with Vuur and PvdUS, who believe that the university has an important role to play when it comes to promoting diversity, inclusion and students' mental health. 

VSP also represents a different voice in terms of internationalisation, as it focuses on the interests of Dutch students. They believe that Dutch should remain the main language of instruction and that the influx of international students should not jeopardize Dutch students' chances. PvdUS and Vuur believe that the university should continue to make sure international students feel at home. Vuur is particularly committed to the specific interests of international students, such as making councils accessible to them and having a more lenient schedule around the Christmas holidays.

The parties do not disagree very much about sustainability and student life, but they approach the topics differently. For example, while Vuur and PvdUS emphasise major sustainability goals, VSP and BLFS underline the importance of maintaining students' comfort. For example, students should be able to choose whether they want to eat meat at the canteens or not, while Vuur would like meat to no longer be offered.

The other new party, BLFS, is unique in that it does not hold any specific positions. Instead, they want to use a forum to consult students to find out what they want and need. On this forum, students could "upvote" the opinions they agree with and the party would vote accordingly.

Preparation and campaigns: “I'm looking forward to it”
The four parties were busy preparing for the elections last week, but the most important part of the campaign will be conducted in the next two days when they will hang posters, hand out flyers and show their faces. “If you approach people, they should be able to vote immediately,” says Vuur's leader Lieke. That is why the parties will be found at several places, including the two university libraries. They will also visit various student associations to solicit votes. Lijst Vuur even knocks on students' doors, allowing them to vote from home. VSP leader Lloyd has not revealed much about their campaign plans yet. “It should remain a surprise, but you will undoubtedly encounter us.”

Lloyd further explains that the past few weeks have been decisive for VSP. As a new party, they must become known, which also applies to BLFS.

Attendance
The four parties hope for a higher turnout this year. Last year, 14 percent of the students voted, up from 11 percent the year before. Lloyd (VSP) is convinced that their participation in the elections will be “crucial to increase the voting percentage”. The two "old" parties are actually happy that voters have more options to choose from this time. “Most of all, we want democracy to win and if that turns out to be beneficial for us, that's great,” says Lieke, from Vuur. Kai, second on PvdUS' list, is also pleased that two new parties have entered the dispute, "even though we do not always agree with them." In his view, if they all get seats in the university council, they will have to find a way to avoid clashing too much, but, in principle, it's good that they will engage in more discussions. 

Results
The election results will be announced on May 17 at 5:30 pm in the Westerdijk Room of the Utrecht University Building. The gathering will be open to the public.