Read the latest CUSU election updates on Varsity's blog.

A charismatic JCR president, an outreach success story and a CUSU insider are battling to be Access Officer in 2009’s most hotly contested CUSU election fight.

Joe Farish, Andy McGowan and Ben Henriques are in the running for the £16,550-a-year post.

The three candidates all claim significant experience. Farish was Trinity’s JCR president and formerly the JCR’s access officer. He has also worked as a researcher for the Cambridge Admissions Office, analysing intake figures.

Henriques has spent a year working with CUSU, another two on Robinson’s JCR and has three years of expe rience with the shadowing scheme.

McGowan attributes his motivation to his access background. He was one of only 135 students in the whole country receiving free school meals to get three As at A-level. He is a carer for his parents, on a full bursary and was the first in his family to go to university. He has since been a JCR access officer and has been i nvolved with various CUSU outreach schemes.

Whilst the election for access officer looks set to be a close fight, the race for CUSU President is barely even a tussle. Tom Chigbo, John’s JCR president and this term’s Union Society treasurer, looks set to cruise to an easy victory against his only opponent, Guolong Li, a second-year from Churchill.

The contest for Education Officer is this year’s largest field, with four candidates running for the post. Ed Maltby, a prominent student activist who helped organise last month’s law faculty occupation, is advocating a reading week as part of a nine-week term. His call for rents to remain the same despite the extra week has been attacked by his opponents, Sam Wakefield, Dan Chapman and Nina Walters. The only other contested post is Welfare, with two candidates.

Candidates will take part in 14 hustings over the next five days. Students can vote online on Monday and Tuesday, and in their College on Wednesday.

By Andrew Bellis