Electrify for ANUSA launches, Promises “More Parties, Less Bullshit”

By Adelle Millhouse

Electrify for ANUSA is the fourth ticket to launch its bid for the upcoming ANUSA election. The ticket is running candidates for NUS Delegate, General Representative, and Social Officer, in addition to College Representatives for CASS and CAP. Social Officer candidate Nick Pagonis and a number of Electrify’s other candidates are affiliated with the ANU Labor Students’ Club and Labor Right.

In a press release, Electrify said it plans to ”focus on issues that students actually care about”, with “more parties, less bullshit”, rather than “niche governance issues”. The ticket’s platform includes “better and more engaging social events”, live music, a “more affordable and accessible” Kambri, and “creating a vibrant campus culture that bridges gaps between students”. 

Like Empower, Electrify is only contesting one Executive position: Social Officer, with candidate Nick Pagonis. In the ticket’s release, Pagonis states that he “will be taking this election exactly as seriously as students take student elections”. Pagonis currently sits as a General Representative on the Executive of the National Union of Students (NUS). He also ran for election to the ANU Union board in March, with the Labor Right-aligned Relaunch ticket, and for General Representative on the Labor Right-aligned Ignite ANUSA ticket.

Electrify is also running ten candidates for General Representative. These include Alex Conneely, Annika Rees, Armaan Kapila, Ben Rowley, Eleanor Hickey, Georgette Mouawad, John Atkinson, Louis Gordon, Shayan Lahijanian, and Sophie Macdonald. Observer understands that a number of these candidates are, like Pagonis, affiliated with Labor Right. 

Spencer Cornish will run for College Representative for the College of Asia and the Pacific, while Ellie Hawthorne and James Eveille will run as College Representatives for the College of Arts and Social Sciences.

In addition to their other roles, Nick Pagonis, Sophie Macdonald, Georgette Mouawad, Eleanor Hickey, and James Eveille will also be running for NUS delegate. It is unclear what Electrify’s policies for the NUS will be, given their platform’s focus on social events. 

Electrify joins You! for ANUSA, Empower, and the as-yet unnamed ticket headed by current General Secretary Lachy Day. Elections are in Week 5, and will run from 19 to 22 August. Nominations close this Wednesday, 7 August. 

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