Meet the Sheffield SU election candidates getting the Tinder swipes

The Uni of Sheff SU’s student elections have taken a turn to the peculiar, with candidates taking to Tinder.

The dating app is usually used for hook-ups or blossoming romance, but for a few candidates dating is out the window to be replaced by democracy.

The Tab Sheffield has spotted three candidates on Tinder, with all of them listing their manifesto promises in their bios and one even offering a “date to the chancellor’s office”.

Whether or not their approach will have voters swiping right remains to be seen, but the whacky method is certainly entertaining.

Jordan Weir, 22, a hopeful for SU development officer, poses for snaps with Greta Thunberg in his green-focused campaign. He even lists “eco warrior” as his job description on his profile.

Fair play

Jordan told The Tab Sheffield that he’s had a few matches which have slid into his DMs with messages including,  “you have my vote sunshine” and “you gained my vote from standing outside in the cold outside the IC”.

He hopes that the quirky campaigning style can get students who usually don’t care involved in politics.

Meanwhile Simon Alford, 21, in the race for activities officer, has listed how he “scrubs up well” alongside his policies for reducing waste and increasing smaller societies.

Simon said: “It just seemed like a fun way to get the word out. People are engaging with it quite well.”

Iconic

It also marks the first time budgie smugglers have been harnessed in an election, with the skimpy swimming shorts worn by Matt Graves, 22, campaigning to be Sports Officer, leaving little to the imagination.

Pictured topless and urging future matches to get “all aboard the Gravesy train”, he is pushing for more club sports and increased participation.

The voting begins on March 9 and these candidates will hope that their Tinder antics will push voters in their favour.

You can check out the full list of candidates and their policies on the SU website.