MSU Polling Day: What Drives People to Vote - Or Not

Polling Day for the Maynooth Students’ Union (MSU/Aontas na Mac Léinn, Mhá Nuad) Executive elections arrived at Maynooth University, yesterday, March 11, and the previous March 10. For Silver Hand Journal journalists Emma Crawford and Sally McRedmond, this was an exciting moment, marking another significant day in their continued coverage of the election proceedings. But how does the rest of the campus feel about the matter?

We chatted to students around popular areas on campus, such as the Arts Building and John Hume, in the hope of gaining insight into these questions. 

It is no secret that the MSU officers prior to the 25/26 cohort have had to navigate some troubling allegations in recent times, from no-showing Senate meetings to claims of ableist bullying. However, reading the manifestos of this year's returning and fresh faces on the ballot, hope still seems to persist. Of course, this argument could be made for any political manifesto written since the dawn of time; promises of excellence and dreams come true. Yet, when you consider that no one is forcing these students to run, you may feel a dusting of optimism when exploring voting options.

And yet, it seemed difficult to feel a buzz around campus about Maynooth's student democracy, unless you happened to make eye contact with a charming voting steward, who would promptly guide you to a polling podium with a stylish sticker and promises of a Celsius energy drink from the Info Centre.

We took to MU’s campus to ask whether students would be taking part or choosing to abstain, and what they really think of student politics across the university. Furthermore, we spoke to current VP Welfare & Equality and MSU Presidential candidate, Ty Layberry-Ling about why students should exercise their right to vote, and what a successful student democracy looks like at Maynooth University (MU) and St Patrick's Pontifical University (SPPU).

Incentives are often appreciated, after all; many college students lean into stereotypes and seem to flock to caffeine like moths to a flame. But does this aid democratic representation? Ty elaborated on this in his chat with Crawford, explaining that: 

“They don't care about reading the manifestos, because the QR codes are there. You can find out about your candidates at the polling stations, and they don't care to read up on that. They just want the Red Bull. And then, therefore you're actually losing their engagement in the long term because they're just there to get a Red Bull.”

One student’s response was a telling comment on the lack of student awareness on the elections: 

“I'm not gonna lie to you, I didn’t even know it was going on. I was sitting here [John Hume tent] and I saw that] MSU voting signpost], and I was like, oh, the elections." 

However, this discovery did not sway them to vote. They went on to explain that they were not planning to vote and were unsure where they would even find information about the candidates. When asked where they might go to become more informed about the MSU or the elections, students’ responses were generally uncertain. Many answers were said with hesitation, though the majority of people named the MSU Instagram page as the first place they might look for information.

We then asked students about the issues they would like the Union to address. The responses were overwhelmingly consistent. Concerns included availability of third spaces, accommodation costs, and problems with parking, something that will come as no surprise to the many students who rely on their cars as their primary mode of transportation.

One student expressed particular frustration about the lack of spaces available for students to relax or study: 

“Honestly, [there’s issues with] the library, people kind of just go there to hang out. And I go there to hang out too sometimes, but I'm not screaming around the whole place. Especially the computer room, because I love hanging out in [there]. It's warm, there's computers, you can sit with your friends, I study better with my friends. But we keep our voices down. Whereas there's people that come in there and there's giant groups and they're screaming around the whole place. And I'm just like, girl, shut the f**k up.” 

It seems that students are flocking to the campus library, the largest indoor space dedicated to student’s academic pursuits as a place to socialise. Could this be because they feel there is nowhere else on campus to facilitate them? 

This issue has been at the forefront of many students’ minds for several years now. Across campus, it is not uncommon to see students sitting on the floors of buildings due to the lack of sufficient facilities. Some hope may lie in the university’s project to renovate the Phoenix Building into a 19-million-euro sports science centre, set to open in January of 2027. However, it remains difficult to see how quickly this project will alleviate the immediate problem of students simply having nowhere to go on campus.

In addition to this, many students raised concerns about parking on campus and accommodation. One commuter stated: 

“I have to drive in at 8:20 [am] just to find parking for 9 o’clock, and even then, all the good spots are gone. You then have to go all the way down to the back. And on top of that you have to pay €80 a year for the cert just to maybe get a parking spot, and you could even end up late to class because there is no parking and you have to wait until somebody leaves.”

Any student or staff member at Maynooth will know parking is a prevalent topic of conversation among commuters. Parking your car often feels like a battle, North and South campus acting as a battlefield.  If you do not have class until noon, it can feel as though you must choose between arriving on campus at 9am in the hope of securing a parking space, or sleeping in and relying on off-campus parking along the Moyglare Road, whilst your parking permit goes to waste.  

It is impossible both to ignore the discourse or see a solution arriving on the horizon. Much of this appears to come down to confidential behind-the-scenes work that non-elected Union officers and senators are not allowed to observe. We put this to Ty: 

“It [diplomacy] is so important. You need to be diplomatic in conversations, particularly whenever you're engaging with the university. I want each officer to have their own social media so that if they are going into a parking meeting, even if they can't divulge everything that they say, they can take a picture of someone and say, we're just in there discussing parking, we're going to hold the town hall on this day, come along. So, even if the students can't hear all the nitty-gritty details, they at least are aware of where their officers are every wake and step of the day, which is what they should be.” 

Only time will tell if this truly changes things. In the meantime, the student body must once again place its faith in the MSU. 

So, with all of this said, the question still remains, do people vote?  

Out of the people we interviewed, 78.5% stated that they have not voted in any MSU elections, past or present. When asked for their why, many of these students stated that they simply said that they did not care, or that they felt the Union had done little to earn their attention or their vote. 

This small study reached an interesting conclusion. People don’t feel the MSU does enough, or anything at all, and the MSU seem to be in a hostage situation where they are stuck for what they can do. The intentions are there. The abilities are restrained. Diplomacy in this sense can become a limitation as much as it is a tool.

It is somewhat harrowing, to hear a prospective MSU acknowledge that university processes silence officers in the name of confidentiality. But it is also clear that progress has been made over time. 

For now, the current set of MSU full-time officer candidates seem trustworthy and resilient. That alone is somewhat reassuring, and a little motivating. Whether this will be enough to carry the student body through another academic year of waiting and seeing remains to be seen, is up to no one else but Maynooth University.