Professors Tony Booth and Wyn Evans, who are each running to be the University’s next Chancellor, have approached Civica’s election services with concerns about the way the election is being conducted.

Booth and Evans wrote to Civica, the company responsible for overseeing the election, saying they were “interested to hear [Civica’s] comments on how it is being conducted”.

In the letter, the candidates claim that there is a “vast disparity in the resources that candidates can deploy in the election,” adding: “Unlike Parliamentary elections, there is no limit on what can be spent on advertising. Spending limits are in place at elections to ensure an even playing field.”

Booth and Evans state that “the only way” to contact the entirety of the “dispersed electorate” is through articles in the press, blog posts, and social media adverts, meaning that those with “the most resources” are at an advantage.

They suggest that the University could have “increased fairness of treatment for candidates” if it had held hustings, enabling all candidates to be equally represented by the press.

Though hustings did not take place, all candidates were required to issue statements to voters, making the case for why they should be the next Chancellor.

The letter also highlights the fact that people wanting to vote online had to register by 5pm on the 2nd of May, before the complete list of candidates was announced. It claimed: “Some candidates announced that they were standing earlier than others, which may have affected people’s motivation to register [to vote online]. It is hard to understand why registration for online voting was stopped so early.”

Individuals wishing to vote in person did not have to register.

Booth and Evans say that one of them was asked by a disabled voter to put forward a complaint, as “stopping registration [to vote online] so early discriminated against disabled voters, who might find it more difficult to travel to vote in Cambridge, in person”.

In-person voters were able to contact the University regarding their access requirements ahead of time. Access measures were also put in place for individuals using wheelchairs, those with limited mobility, the visually impaired, and those with pushchairs. Carers and assistance dogs were also allowed to accompany individual voters. University Constables and other members of staff were also present to provide assistance.

Booth and Evans also suggest in their letter that “all students and full time staff” should have been allowed to vote. Currently, only individuals who have graduated with a qualifying degree and members of Regent House are allowed to vote in the election: something which Booth and Evans say “seems to contradict a core value of the University in opposing discrimination”.

The letter also alleges the University has deliberately promoted an image of the Chancellorship as a “purely ceremonial” role, despite the fact “the Statutes and Ordinances envisage a broader role”.

The University website states that, in addition to playing a “key role in the life of the collegiate University” and being the University’s “formal and ceremonial head,” the new Chancellor “will play a vital role in Cambridge’s public-facing activities, fundraising, and in providing advice to senior members of the University”.

The description of the role continues: “The most significant commitment for the Chancellor is to be a champion and ambassador for Cambridge, and to advocate and support the University’s aims and strategic interests.”

Online voting began on the 9th of July, and closed on the 18th of July, while in-person voting took place in the Senate House building on the 12th and 16th of July.

The successful candidate will hold the position for ten years.

Civica was contacted for comment.