At Cardiff University, student elections come and go each year with posters around campus, Instagram campaigns and a flood of manifesto promises. Yet many students still ask the same question: does any of this actually matter? When university decisions are ultimately made by senior management and governing boards, it is fair to wonder how much power elected student officers really have.
The answer to the impact of these elections depends on what we term as ‘impact’. If we expect these elections and elected student officers to have direct control on University’s financial and recruitment related decisions, then we are looking at a dead rubber.
But if we define ‘impact’ of these elections as something influencing University’s decision-making, then it does have a credible and notable impact. When Cardiff students voted against renewing affiliation with the National Union of Students, they were not just making a symbolic statement. They were deciding how their union would represent them nationally and where thousands of pounds in affiliation fees would go. That decision triggered a referendum process and forced wider debate about representation and accountability.
Similarly, when students protested and passed motions opposing university job cuts last year, they could not veto management decisions. But they did create public pressure, align with staff unions, and ensure that the issue was taken seriously. Although they could not make the university abide by their demands, Cardiff Socialist Student’s James Scott said that the campaigning managed to reduce job cuts from 400 to 286.
But if we talk about the impact of these elections and the elected officers, it is important to note that the primary criticism of this exercise is that it does not truly represent a majority of the students. Critics argue that student elections often suffer from low turnout and engagement.
If only a small percentage of students vote, it diminishes the legitimacy of these elections.
An SU Elections Survey by NUS in 2025 shows that the average turnout was at just 17.4% in last year, which surprisingly was a percent more than the previous year. If the majority of the students do not elect their representatives, it becomes easy for the university’s decision makers to reject their demands.
And if you think this is a bad election turnout, the numbers about key leadership positions such as full-time officers make it worse with just 1 out of 10 students voting for it. A report by Adam Smith institute shows that just 3% of students vote in the elections that choose delegates who decide NUS policy and select its officers, with turnout often as low as 0.5%.
Now these numbers may be enough to dismiss the impact of student elections. But what it truly does is it gives something arguably just as important, a mandate. A passed motion or an elected officer provides legitimacy. It turns individual frustration into a collective voice. Without that democratic backing, campaigns are easier to ignore. With it, they become harder to dismiss.
Students today will shape the politics, institutions and civic culture of tomorrow
A university may not be legally bound to follow a Student Union’s vote, but ignoring a formal mandate is far more difficult than ignoring an informal petition or protest. It shifts the conversation from “a few students are unhappy” to “this is the declared position of the union representing thousands.” It also brings media attention if the support for the mandate is large enough.
This is particularly relevant in places like Cardiff, where student votes have shaped debates around national representation and university policy. Even when management retains final authority, the existence of a mandate enables engagement. It compels responses, meetings, statements and, at the very least, acknowledgement.
Beyond immediate policy outcomes, student elections also serve a deeper purpose. They instill democratic procedures and values in many young adults. University is the first environment where they actively vote, campaign, debate and demand accountability from leadership.
Participating in student elections reinforces valuable and practical lessons learned through direct involvement. Students today will shape the politics, institutions and civic culture of tomorrow. If democratic participation is normalised and valued during university, it strengthens democratic habits beyond campus and particularly in international students who might not have a robust democracy back home.
In that sense, even if the direct policy impact of student elections is sometimes limited, their long-term civic impact may be far more significant.