George Smith provides an insight into the state of student politics in St. John’s as Will Powell is elected as the new SJCR President.
On a damp and dismal Tuesday evening in January, around 40 Johnians gather in Leech Hall at the heart of St. John’s college. They are all here for one thing – free pizza – sorry, I mean to elect the new President of the SJCR.
Prior to the main attraction, the usual formalities took place in addition to a handful of non-executive roles being up for election. This included the election of a new sustainability officer and St John’s representative to the Student Union, highlighting the range of positions available. These more minor elections were no less entertaining though, particularly for sustainability officer, as the (ultimately successful) candidate was barraged by a host of questions from the audience ranging from his views on nuclear power to his response should oil be discovered beneath St. John’s college.
After around half an hour, it was time for the process of electing a new SJCR President to begin. For the first time in 4 years there was only one nomination, however all the usual procedures of a presidential hust still occurred. Will Powell, a 3rd year Politics student from Greater Manchester, was the man hoping to become President and gave a powerful 8 minute speech (as per the rules) explaining his manifesto which included 3 key aims:
- Outreach – Will started by focusing on the importance of connecting the college up by expanding the website to include clear information on events and news, in addition to proposing the creation of an SJCR Mentorship System.
- Transparency – Will endeavoured to reinstate termly President’s drop-ins citing their importance along with continuing to keep financial transparency on SJCR budgets.
- Community – finally, Will pledged to run smaller, free events across Common Rooms to bring college closer together. He also advocated for a consultation on how JCR spaces such as the Bailey Room could be better utilised.
These main aims created much engagement with the audience present who picked up on several points raised, specifically about the type of free events and his vision for other spaces in college. Will was able to provide detailed and knowledgeable answers to all these queries, putting great emphasis on how he would work closely with others including the SJCR executive, college and the wider university to ensure St. John’s benefits from any decisions made.
Powell’s pitch seemed popular among members as he secured 94 votes and, although Will was unopposed, there was no guarantee of victory as voters had the choice to re-open nominations (RON), of which 6 chose to do. This resulted in 100 votes being registered, 78 of which were recorded on the first day of polling, generating a turnout of 17.7%. Although turnout is drastically down from last year’s 49.3%, it is still over 7 percentage points higher than the last time only one candidate stood, with the election of Thomas Jackson in 2022, perhaps indicating that Johnians are still connected with student politics.
As for who is engaging with the voting process this year, the results show similar levels of participation between all year groups with 2nd years having the highest turnout. Furthermore, Cranmer students appear to be more involved than regular SJCR members, bucking the trend from previous years. It is difficult to ascertain whether these trends will continue for future elections, as it seems to depend on the personality and number of candidates standing.
Despite Powell’s victory, there have been concerns by some members around the lack of candidates standing in this election and the wider state of student politics in St. John’s.
The current SJCR President, Oliver Davis, has responded to these concerns with an exclusive statement to the Chronicle:
“The Presidential Election is always an exciting time for the SJCR, regardless of the number of candidates. Each year we get a varied number of candidates who bring different ideas, opinions and priorities to the membership. Whether we have one candidate or many, our members always have the democratic right to vote “RON” or Re-Open Nominations, ensuring fair process. The SJCR is, at heart, a democratic and collectivist organisation, so I would encourage all of you to engage in our democratic processes and have your say.”
Although it was a disappointing election for those (like myself) who enjoy some late-night voting drama, it appears democracy in St. John’s is still alive and kicking as we enter 2026, perhaps something the election-cancelling councils across England could take notice of!
Photo credit: George Smith.
John's Chronicle 