Lower turnout at CapU Students’ Union election mirrors trends across B.C.
Asmi Toor Sogi (she/her) // Contributor
Laura Morales (she/her) // Graphics
The Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) 2026 General Elections, held from March 10 to 12, filled 20 positions within the student union: five executive positions and 15 non-executive roles, including five representatives from the Capilano Business & Professional Society (a separate society under the CSU umbrella that holds its meetings separately). Three of the five elected executives—including President Benisse Zinga—have started their terms early due to prior vacancies and removals. However, the Vice-President Finance & Services position remains vacant because the individual elected to this role—one of the executives previously removed from office—is not allowed to return.
On March 27, about two weeks after the voting period concluded, the election results were certified following the final report from Elections Administrator Kalpna Solanki, who gave the presentation during the biweekly board of directors meeting. According to the statistics in Solanki’s report, the number of nominations received was on par with the previous year despite reduced enrolment in the current year. There was a higher volume of complaints in 2026 (40) compared to 2025 (just over 30), and fewer than half the number of disqualifications that occurred in 2025.
Candidate Statistics (2022-2026)
Who are the new CSU Board members?
The Board of Directors of the CSU is made up of students who are democratically elected to represent the student body. The board includes the president, vice-presidents, collective liaisons and coordinators, campus representatives, faculty representatives, and at-large representatives; 24 directors in total, not including Board of Governors’ and senate representatives, who follow a different election process and are invited to join the Board. They meet twice a month to make decisions on behalf of students, with the support and guidance of CSU management and staff, on how to best allocate the CSU’s annual budget of over $5 million (which is funded by students’ membership fees).
According to the CSU bylaws, the five executive positions—the president and four vice-presidents—are part of the executive committee, responsible for carrying out the Board’s policies and strategic plan, supporting Board development, providing clear and timely reports on its actions, and offering the Board options and recommendations on issues important to the CSU membership.
Non-executive positions, on the other hand, are board members who focus on keeping the Board informed of issues, concerns, activities, and perspectives specific to their respective constituencies, which include students of colour, Indigenous students, international students, queer students, women students, mature and parent students, Black students, regional campuses, faculties or students at large.
The Capilano Business & Professional Society elected a representative for the Capilano Finance Association, Capilano Human Resources Management Association (HRMA), Capilano Accounting Association, Capilano Legal Association, and International Business Association. There were no candidates to represent the Business Information Management and Analytics Association.
The CSU election uses a ranked-ballot system, which lets voters rank candidates in order of preference instead of choosing just one. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated each round, and their votes are redistributed to each voter’s next choice until one candidate remains. The CSU approved the motion to transition to this system in 2019, and it became effective on January 1, 2020.
The 2026 CSU General Election results were as follows:
President
Vice-President Equity & Sustainability
Vice-President External
Vice-President Finance & Services
Vice-President Student Affairs
Mature & Parent Students Liaison
Women Students Liaison
Arts & Science Representative
Education, Health & Human Development Representative
Fine & Applied Arts Representative
Squamish Campus Representative
At-Large Representatives
Capilano Finance Association
Capilano Human Resources Management Association (HRMA)
Capilano Accounting Association President
Capilano Legal Association President
International Business Association President
In an email exchange with the Courier, the CSU’s new president indicated that the non-executive positions for 2026-27 that may remain vacant are:
- International Students Liaison
- Students of Colour Liaison
- Accessibility Justice Coordinator
- Business & Professional Studies Representative
- Global & Community Studies Representative
- At-Large Representative (x1)
New Board faces the same question: Does the CSU need five executives?
According to the CSU’s latest election results, the newly elected board will be led by Benisse Zinga serving as President, Abhiraj Singh Bhullar as Vice-President Equity & Sustainability, Parnit Kaur as Vice-President External and Sandeep Singh as Vice-President for Student Affairs. Meharveen Manchanda was re-elected as Vice-President Finance & Services, but given that she was removed from office due to alleged misconduct, this position is now vacant. The CSU has to decide on whether to conduct a by-elections, to appoint an interim VP or to let this seat—among nine other non-executive ones—remain vacant.
Last year, the VP Equity and Sustainability position remained vacant, yet the President was still able to fulfill this role on top of his own within the budgeted hours for one role, which raises the question of whether the five people are truly necessary or if the executive responsibilities can continue to be absorbed elsewhere. The reason why it’s better to leave the seat vacant, according to VP Bhullar, is that a by-election costs around $40k. The CSU president provided the Courier a projected breakdown for the by-election, which totals $40,826.
| Expense category | Forecast |
| Election Administration Fees | 26,250.00 |
| Election Travel (Regional Campuses) | 500.00 |
| Simply Voting (Voting Platform) | 1,776.00 |
| Candidate Reimbursements | 1,500.00 |
| Equipment Rentals | 550.00 |
| Arbitration Panel Expenses | 4,000.00 |
| Election Clerks | 5,500.00 |
| Security and Miscellaneous | 750.00 |
| Total | 40,826.00 |
New Board members required to make early transitions
The Board of Directors approved an earlier start for the President, the VP Equity and Sustainability, and the VP External, elected for the 2026-27 term, who would otherwise be starting their roles on June 1. This was due to former President Harjot Singh and former VP External Vansh Kalra being removed from office due to alleged misconduct related to the CSU election, and the VP Equity and Sustainability position being left vacant for the 2025-26 term.
The sudden transition led the incoming executives to manage their new responsibilities without the usual mentorship that takes place during the handover period with the outgoing board. In an interview with the Courier, Bhullar reflected on how the early start meant missing out on the “peer-to-peer” exposure that typically helps the new executives adjust to their roles.
The CSU president, Benisse Zinga, also conveyed how her current priority is to ensure “continuity of leadership and operations,” which is why some of the responsibilities from the vacant VP Finance role are being handled by her. She also mentioned how the decision of whether to leave the executive seat vacant or to appoint an interim VP, or hold a by-election would be given to the next board (2026-27). According to her, the board has also started to identify “a broader governance review as a priority in its five-year plan, including looking at the Board’s structure,” which includes a study on “Executive Pay and Timekeeping Practices,” according to an October 2025 memorandum sent by the Executive Director.
Domestic student participation rises despite lower overall turnout
In 2024, the drop in domestic voter turnout was flagged by the elections administrator at the time, who emphasized how extremely low this number is—about 2 per cent of eligible domestic voters—and warned that, “If a group representing more than half of students is effectively disengaged from CSU governance, CSU’s legitimacy as a representative student body is at risk,” according to a 2024 Courier article.
With this in mind, the CSU has been increasing their efforts to boost voter participation, with special attention to domestic students. This year, their efforts included prize draws, free snacks, informational leaflets, and mandatory candidate orientation to promote awareness. The CSU also expanded access through satellite voting locations, making it easier for students to cast their ballots across campus. Social media played a key role in communicating updates and responding to concerns during the election period. The participation of the Arts and Sciences department has been central to the improvement in turnout performance during the most recent election, with a turnout of 11.66 per cent.
The report shared by Christopher Girodat, Executive Director of the CSU, highlights these strategies as effective in enhancing visibility and engagement, even if they did not translate into a significant increase in turnout. The turnout among domestic students has risen considerably since 2024. It climbed from 2.30 per cent in 2024, 3.03 per cent in 2025 to 5.58 per cent in 2026.
At the same time, the report acknowledges areas for improvement. The turnout and response rates were slightly lower in some categories, and participation among certain underrepresented groups declined compared to the previous year. According to the statistics provided by the CSU’s Director of Communications, the total number of voters was 844 in 2025, whereas only 681 votes were recorded in 2026, representing an 8.07 per cent turnout.
CapU’s turnout trends also reflect a wider pattern seen across student unions in Canada, where participation in campus elections often remains low. A 2024 study, titled Voter Turnout Analysis of Canadian Undergraduate Student Unions, 2016-2018 found that Canadian undergraduate student union elections have an average voter turnout of approximately 21 per cent.
The CSU election also saw a high volume of complaints, many submissions being anonymous or described as seemingly “frivolous.” While the CSU maintained systems to address and manage these concerns—primarily through social media updates—the volume of complaints points to a need for clearer communication around election processes and expectations.
In short, voter turnout dipped slightly compared to last year, but participation among domestic students increased and nominations remained stable. This shows that while outreach efforts are expanding, engagement remains uneven across the student body.
