During the Nov. 14 board meeting, the board of directors approved the timeline for the 2025 – 2026 WUSA general election as the following:  

• Nomination period: Dec. 16 – Jan. 23 

• All Candidates Meeting: Jan. 23 

• Campaign week: Jan. 26 – Jan. 31 (though candidates may campaign until Feb. 9) 

• Voting Period: Feb. 3 – Feb. 9 

• Unofficial Electoral Results – Feb. 10 

The WUSA general election seeks to appoint key student figures to represent undergraduates across campus and/or help run WUSA. Positions on the WUSA board of directors are up for election including the President, Vice President and directors. There are also two undergraduate senate positions up for election. 

Speaking with Imprint, WUSA President Nick Pfeifle said that the board agreed that the 2024/25 general election timeline was “grueling” for candidates and sought to find ways to improve the schedule. This included a shorter overall campaign period and having the campaign week begin on Sunday to allow better flexibility especially for candidates who may not be on campus full time to begin campaigning.  

Nominations will now be open about a month later compared to last year (Nov. 13, 2023). The voting period will also now last about one week compared to two days last year.

The previous election saw the highest voter turnout in WUSA history with 25.127 per cent, or 8,876 eligible voters casting their ballots. WUSA has struggled with a lack of candidate in previous elections to field competitive races with no candidates running for vice president in the 2024/25 election and only a single candidate running for both president and vice president respectfully in the 2023/24 election.  

When asked what advice he would give to people considering running in the election, Pfeifle said to “have your parachute ready, being part of WUSA can ask a lot of you and having an escape plan is important.” Pfeifle urged the need for potential candidates to take care of their mental health before, during and after the campaign process, which includes consulting counselling services and “stepping away” from campus when necessary. “Don’t be tied to campus,” Pfeifle stated.