GSU to cast votes for Linda Doyle in provost election

Doyle has narrowly beaten out Jane Ohlmeyer for the GSU bloc’s votes

The Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) is set to cast its votes for Linda Doyle tomorrow in the election of Trinity’s next provost.

After a poll of 1,182 postgraduate students, Doyle won the highest number of preferences on the second count, securing her the GSU’s electoral votes over fellow candidates Jane Ohlmeyer and Linda Hogan.

In the first round of voting, Doyle and Ohylemer tied in first place, with both securing 471 votes. Hogan received 240 votes.

The GSU used the same proportional representation system for determining the outcome of the vote that it uses for its sabbatical officer elections.

After transfers from Linda Hogan on the second count, Doyle held 599 votes, while Ohlemyer had received 552.

128 of the votes that had initially gone to Hogan transferred to Doyle, 81 transferred to Ohlmeyer, and 31 were non-transferrable.

1,182 students of 5,261 eligible members voted in the GSU poll, giving a turnout of 22.5%.

In a statement, the GSU said that “this has been a very tight race between Jane Ohlmeyer and Linda Doyle right down to the wire”. 

“Both candidates polled 471 votes each and drew even in the first count. If we had not implemented the transfer system according to our Constitution then we would have cast two votes for each candidate in tomorrow’s election on behalf of the postgraduate community, but as it stands the transfers of the third candidate’s votes, nudged one candidate ahead to bring a final tally of Jane Ohlmeyer 552 and Linda Doyle 599 and the GSU will therefore block vote for the winning candidate in tomorrow’s College election to elect the new Provost.”

GSU President Gisèle Scanlon said the union is “so very grateful to the postgraduate community for taking the time to vote and for giving us a very healthy turnout and they deserve to be recognised and rewarded for this by a new Provost”.

“Congratulations to the GSU winning candidate. We look forward to casting our votes tomorrow and we wish the three candidates the very best of luck tomorrow at the polls!” Scanlon said.

The four GSU officers casting the union’s votes are Scanlon, GSU Vice President Abhisweta Bhattacharjee, GSU STEM Officer Nilki Aluthge Dona and GSU HS Officer Julia Wall.

The 800-strong electorate is set to vote for Trinity’s next provost tomorrow, with the result expected to come around 1pm.

The three candidates have been campaigning for votes over the last two months in an election that has taken place almost exclusively online.

Doyle is Trinity’s Professor for Engineering and the Arts and previously served as Dean of Research.

The two students’ unions – the GSU and Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) – are each casting their votes as a bloc.

The GSU has four votes, while TCDSU has six.

The six TCDSU representatives are set to vote for Ohlmeyer after survey of members with a valid poll of 994.

The winning candidate, who will be the first woman to hold the position, is to take up the provostship in August.

Lauren Boland

Lauren Boland was the Editor of the 67th volume of Trinity News. She is an English Literature and Sociology graduate and previously served as Deputy Editor, News Editor and Assistant News Editor.