Candidates in this year’s Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) elections received their paper materials this morning – the day after the campaign began, with some forced to canvass without materials in Halls last night.
The delay was caused by an error with Reads Design and Print, the company that prints manifestos, leaflets and posters for TCDSU elections – prompting some candidates to express disappointment that their materials hadn’t arrived in time.
In an email statement to The University Times last night, TCDSU Education Officer Niamh McCay wrote that it’s “unfortunate that candidates won’t be able to use their materials if they chose to campaign in Halls tonight but we are ensuring that every candidate is treated fairly and they all receive their paper materials at the same time”.
Several candidates confirmed to The University Times that their materials had not arrived. Most sought to downplay the effects of the late arrivals, though some expressed frustration they were forced to campaign using only their t-shirts last night.
Presidential candidate Eoin Hand told The University Times in a statement he was “a little annoyed I don’t have any other materials bar t-shirts”, but added that “I understand these things happen”.
Ryan Carey, who’s also running for president of the union, wrote in a statement to The University Times that the “materials being delayed is obviously inconvenient, but what happened was outside the control of the Education Officer and the Electoral Commission”.
“If all of the candidates are in the same boat with regards to the materials, it won’t hold any of us back”, Carey said.
Harry Williams, the third candidate in the presidential race, said in a statement to The University Times that “it was just a delay in printing so fairly chilled. I don’t really have an issue with it”.
Meanwhile, education candidate Megan O’Connor said the delay “won’t have any major effect on campaigning” in a statement to The University Times.
And Philly Holmes, one of two candidates for communications and marketing officer, told The University Times: “While I was disappointed to hear that materials were delayed, I was reassured by Niamh that everybody was in the same boat and I’m glad that it has been handled with fairness.”
Last night saw several candidates make the trip to Halls – among them the three presidential candidates, and Cormac Watson, who’s running for Editor of The University Times.
Faye Curran, Matt McCann, Emma Taggart, Sárán Fogarty and Emer Moreau also contributed reporting to this piece.
