The Cambridge Union’s elections have kicked off, continuing the past year’s trend of increasingly competitive presidential elections. However, only one of the other five positions is contested.

Voting will take place in-person at the Union from 27th to 29th November.

As candidates have officially launched their public campaigns for officer roles in Easter Term 2026, President and Debates Officer are the two roles running contested. In a largely unprecedented moment, no one is standing for Equalities Officer.

While the President role was contested in the past two elections, this election is the first time Debates has been a contested role since 2023.

Jack Peters and Innes Morgan are running against each other for the role of President.

Currently chair of Cambridge Uni Liberal Association (CULA), Peters boasts a cross-party political endorsement from chairs of CULC, UCLS, and CUCA, and runs on a platform prioritising accessibility and going “bigger, better, and bolder” with events.

His proposals include inviting a local state comprehensive school to every Easter debate, and upping the number of STEM speakers. Peters ran for President in the last election, losing narrowly to Christopher Lorde.

Morgan, previously Social Events officer, champions innovation for the Union in his bid for President. He aims to introduce measures such as launching new “speaker-member workshops,” bringing in “new revenue from sponsors, alumni and digital growth,” and a new online ballot system for high-demand events.

This follows member frustration at the recent Mike Pence event over queuing for hours only for many to be turned away as the Chamber reached capacity.

Ted Yip and Isaac James are competing for Debates Officer. James, the current Equalities Officer, pledges to introduce shorter debates with “more daring motions” to help debates “pack more of a punch” amid a busy Easter term. Yip proposes diversifying speakers to platform “bold and diverse perspectives,” and establishing a new online forum for members to submit feedback on debates.

For the first time in over two years, the election for Speakers Officer is uncontested. Freddie Bishop is running alone for Speakers Officer, after losing the role to Joe Hesketh in the last election.

This time, Bishop promises “more of an effort to challenge problematic or controversial viewpoints,” continuing “Jubilee style speaker events” like Charlie Kirk’s appearance, and to diversify speakers including more non-Western and more women, transgender, and non-binary speakers.

Alex Corbould is running for Social Events Officer to continue previous successful events such as the Eurovision watch party, and host more networking events.