Leadership Race: Election Rules

To keep our elections free and fair, we do of course have election rules!

These apply to our Autumn Elections, the "full" Leadership Race and any ad-hoc elections that happen in between or around them.

We like to keep things straightforward at your Union, so they only run to one page of A4  You can find them at the end of this article.

The election rules are supported by a few "FAQ" style documents that were drafted from a candidates perspective, but might be of interest to voters, too:

• What To Expect for Candidates
• What to do if your'e not happy with something during the election
• What If I Break a Rule 

If you do have any questions or feedback about any elections, do get in touch with the Student Voice Team, who will be happy to help.

Happy campaigning, happy voting!

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Election Rules 2024-25: 

These rules are promoted to candidates and are our guiding principles for a free and fair election process. Any breach of these may result in disqualification of candidates.  

Principles 

1. Fair – It is important that we elect people in a free and fair manner. It is fair that each candidate has the right to promote themselves; it would be unfair to hinder anyone else’s campaign. The rules are not here to give everyone an equal chance of winning, just a fair one. 
2. Safe - Do not cause any danger with your campaign materials or campaigning and avoid endangering yourself and others. Be sensible and check with the Union if you think an idea is risky. 
3. Legal - The Students’ Union and the University cannot tolerate any behaviour which may constitute Breaking University or Union regulations during an election counts as a break in election rules. 
4. Constructive - Being positive about what you would bring to a role will get you more votes than being negative about others, so rather than outlining the failures of others, highlight your strengths and experience. If you do wish to debate other candidate's ideas, this must be done in a constructive manner – online or in person. 

Conduct 

1. Candidates that are asked to complete a disclosure form relevant to their role must do so before the close of the nominations period. 
2. Campaigners should not undertake campaign activity which others could not also reasonably do. 
3. Candidates must take reasonable steps to ensure that their supporters’ actions always comply with election rules and must be able to demonstrate this in the event of a complaint against them. 
4. Campaigners may only alter, move or remove their own campaign materials. 
5. Campaigners may only use mailing lists where lawful to do so. In most cases this will require the consent of the members on the list to use their details. 
6. Campaigners must allow students to cast their vote freely and must not communicate with voters in any way once they have begun to complete their ballot. 

Budget 

Candidates for certain roles will receive a set budget for their campaign which must not be exceeded, or they may be disqualified from the election. 

1. Full-Time Officer candidates receive £25. Candidates may spend and claim-back, or receive cash in advance, with any unspent money being returned by the below deadline.
2. All campaigners must submit a written list of all campaign costs with corresponding receipts to the Deputy Returning Officer no later than 12 hours after polls close. If candidates do not spend any money during their campaign this must be made clear on their submission. 
3. Items freely and readily available to all campaigners can be used without needing to be recorded as part of campaign spending (e.g. cardboard). Candidates can source these appropriately from where they see fit. 
4. Preowned items that were not bought for the purpose of the election can be used without being recorded (e.g. a bedsheet). A candidate may be challenged on this and will be expected provide reasonable evidence that this is the case.