Oxford Union members have voted to abolish electoral slates on a temporary basis for the society’s Hilary and Trinity elections.
The trial period will be followed by a referendum of all members on the issue in Trinity, where it will be decided whether the move should be permanent.
The vote follows a long campaign throughout the last academic year, resulting in feisty exchanges and several inconclusive votes.
Last week’s late debate saw several experienced Union officials, who had benefitted from slates in their campaigns, voting in favour of the trial abolishment.
Anti-slate campaigner, Francesco Galvanetto, told Cherwell: “I’ve been working alongside Ray [Williams, fellow anti-slate campaigner] for a while now, many of us have put a lot of effort into trying to make the union a better place.
“It has been amazing to see those plans turn into reality tonight, the membership’s response to our plans has been fantastic and we cannot wait for the new trial period to begin.
“We believe that removing electoral pacts is the first step to allowing any member to take part in the Union’s administration through their merits and their passion.
“We can’t wait for next term, when such proposals will come into effect and we hope that many members will put forward their names now that unfair advantages to certain candidates have been removed.
“What an honour it was to share the debate with a cabinet minister, and to defeat him as well.”
The government’s Universities Minister, Sam Gyiamah, stayed behind after the annual ‘No Confidence’ debate to watch the procedural motion. Cherwell understands he voted against the abolishment of slates.
At the end of last term, a motion advocating the banning of slates provisionally passed but then failed to acquire the necessary 150 signatures to bind the ruling.
Prior to this, a proposal for debate was rejected on grounds of a ruling that any meeting at the Union can only take place if members have been given a few days’ notice.
From 1998 to 2015, slates and electoral-pacts were officially banned, though pro-slate campaigners make the point that they continued to exist informally regardless.
