Prof Linda Doyle has won the Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) votes on the second round of counting, after tying with Prof Jane Ohlmeyer after the first count.
Doyle and Ohlmeyer won 471 votes each on the first count, with Prof Linda Hogan winning 240 votes on the first count.
When Hogan was eliminated after the first count and her votes were distributed accordingly, Doyle gained 128 transfers while Ohlmeyer gained 81 transfers. This left Doyle with 599 votes on the second and final count, with Ohlmeyer totalling 552 votes.
The four votes allocated to the GSU will be cast by GSU President Gisèle Scanlon as she has a seat on the College Board, GSU Vice President Abhisweta Bhattacharjee, GSU STEM Officer Nilki Aluthge Dona and GSU Health Sciences Officer Julia Wall as they each have a seat on University Council.
In a press statement, the GSU said: “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.”
Scanlon said in the statement: “This is a year of slow building for the GSU and this result a reflection of the quiet but hard work which takes place out of sight by a hard working GSU team on the ground”
“We are 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.”
Doyle – former Dean of Research and professor of engineering and the arts – promised to generate a “re-energised democracy” that “results in action”. The focal point of Doyle’s campaign was centred around “imagine Trinity in 2031” which centred one seven key pillars she planned to implement if she had been elected.
Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU), which has six votes, will vote for Ohlmeyer. She won on the second round of counting, after RON and Prof Linda Hogan were eliminated. She passed the quota of 498, with a total of 515 votes. The number of valid polls was 994. Prof Linda Doyle finished second with 452 votes.
The union members on University Council and College Board vote as a bloc in the election, which has an electorate of over 850.
