Elections handbook 2015

5 1 0 2LECTIONS

E k o o b d han

HAVE YOUR SAY! www.edgehillsu.org.uk/suelections

U S ELECTIONS

hello and welcome

ndbook! me to the election ha lco we d our part time an , ne yo er Hey ev in running for one of t es er int an g sin es ank you for expr tion, so thank Firstly, a massive th get to run a by-elec we ar ye y er ev t no s S Delegate! It’ positions and/or NU all here at EHSU! exciting time for as lly cia pe es an r be to you for making Oc for are an essential sition you are running po e tim rt pa a r fo in running les are instrumental If you are thinking of rt time liberation ro Pa . ion un y da rn de g, mo ll as on a part of any functionin our University, as we in d te en es pr re lly s are fairly and equa fighting for the ensuring our member er, campaigning and fic of ion at er lib a be ll a huge change national scale. You wi the power to make ve ha u Yo le! ro u yo dents relating to demographic of stu of us here! the full support of all th wi s er mb me ur yo for e essential in ate these positons ar leg De S NU r fo ing inking of runn ard on a national For those of you th s at Edge Hill are he nt de stu of s ice vo inions and nt conference in the ensuring that the op at the biggest stude SU EH t en es pr re to elected campaigns. platform. You will be d vote on policy and an ss cu dis to y nit opportu country, having the at EHSU have I can honestly say th , hs nt mo 2 r fo ion ly been in my posit nce whilst at Even though I’ve on ucation and experie ed s’ nt de stu in e nc a serious differe al and positive the power to make e, we can make a re tim rt pa d an ll fu s, help of officer do if elected. university. With the atever you choose to wh in t or pp su ll fu u will have my your hands. change this year! Yo s; the outcome is in te vo e os th t ge d an mpaigning Get involved, get ca e y questions about th d should you have an an let ok bo is th of e thre the rest uch with myself, my Please read through hesitate to get in to n't do e as ple it to lated roles or anything re Officers. r Deputy Returning fellow officers or ou All the best!

Steven Rouke President

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important Contacts SU President

Deputy Returning Officer

Deputy Returning Officer

Steve Rouke

Lauren Beckett

Cleve Rushton

01695 657301 supresident@edgehill.ac.uk

01695 657301 beckettl@edgehill.ac.uk

01695 657301 cleve.rushton@edgehill.ac.uk

KEY election Dates Nominations Open:

monday 28th September

Nominations Close: Friday 2nd October 12 noon

Candidate Briefing:

Friday 2nd October at 3pm & 5pm

Voting OPENS:

Wednesday 7th October 3pm

Voting Closes:

Tuesday 6th October 10am

VOTING

Wednesday 7th October AT 5pm

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students' union IN brief...

We are Student Led

The Students’ Union is a student led organisation so ultimately it’s the students who control it. The Students’ Union is run by students for students. This means that students, through the officers they elect and the activities they get involved in, make the decisions and ultimately decide the direction of their Union!

We are about Change

Every student at Edge Hill University is automatically a member of the Students’ Union. We are here to primarily represent the interests of all Edge Hill students, our

members. We give students a voice and promote positive change by lobbying the University and local, regional and national bodies to ensure you have the best possible student experience whilst studying at Edge Hill. Each officer is assigned responsibility for specific areas of Union work and they work at the highest possible level

within the University to bring about positive change for all students.

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HOW WE WORK The Students Union is run by a mixture of people.

The Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for the governance of the Union in the eyes of the law. All four Sabbatical Officers sit on the Board of Trustees as well as three students who are appointed. There are also members of the public, external trustees, who also sit on this committee.

As well as the board we have a team of around 20 full time staff and over 50 part time staff who help to run the day to day operational functions.

Students’ Union Executive All four Sabbatical officers are trustees of the Union and will ensure the priorities of the Union as decided by its members are carried out.

All four will lobby the University to bring about positive change for all students through campaigning and through attending University and Union committee meetings. The Students’ Union President is the prime representative of the Union to the University and is known as

being the figure head of the Union. The President is also the Chair of the Board of Trustees. They will be the Unions official spokesperson when it comes to liaising with stake holders and the media locally and nationally. All three Vice Presidents have a primary responsibility to their area of work. They will all represent the views of their students to the university through campaigning and attending University meetings. The President and the Vice Presidents are the voice of the students at the University.

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SO

There • • •

what roles are available...

are three part time officer positions (voluntary) available: Black Students’ Officer Disabled Students’ Officer LGBT Officer

NUS Delegate Edge Hill Students’ Union has four spaces for students to attend the biggest student conference in the country ‘National Conference’.

National conference 2016 is 19th-21st April in Brighton, and you must be available to attend on these dates. Any student or current sabbatical officer is eligible to stand for these positions For more information on the conference visit: www.nusconnect.org.uk/events/national-conference-2016

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how to stand step 1

Nomination Form and Manifesto

candidate briefing

step 3

step 2

campaigning

voting

step 4

Key Dates Nominations Open: Monday 28th September Nominations Close: Friday 2nd October at 12 noon Candidate Briefing: Friday 2nd October at 3pm & 5pm Voting: Tuesday 6th October at 10am – Wednesday 7th October at 3pm Results: Wednesday 7th October at 5pm

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nomination

and manifesto Along with your nomination form, you’re required to submit a short manifesto. This should be no longer than one A4 sheet and should include up to three main things you will do if elected, you should also include a little bit about yourself. You are able to design this how you want. Remember, be realistic about what you want to achieve.

You should particularly note that failure to submit the manifesto with your nomination form will invalidate your nomination for the elections.

If you want any further information on developing a manifesto please contact suelections@edgehill.ac.uk

s e t a d i candefing

This is an essential part of the Students’ Union election process.

At this session you will get all the information regarding the rules of the election and further information on how voting will work.

It is an ideal opportunity to ask questions and clear up anything you do not fully understand. As we understand that not all students may be able to attend at the specified times it is not compulsory for you to attend however if you are unable to make it you must let us know by emailing suelections@edgehill.ac.uk so we can arrange an alternative way to contact you with the information from this briefing.

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Campaigning Campaigning can never be underestimated; this is how you will engage with the very people who will hopefully vote for you.

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Branch out from the Hub! Yes it’s a great building for campaigning but don’t spend all your time here. What about the students over in Waters Edge in Education? Or the Faculty of Health Building?

Sporting Edge? Creative Edge etc.

Compared to even 5-6 years ago, online campaigning has gone to a whole other level, and whilst it’s great, especially for those people on placement, don’t solely rely on this, make sure you actually speak to some people too!

Posters WILL NOT and I shall repeat WILL NOT win you an election. They may remind people to vote for you, but that’s only going to happen if they’ve actually encountered you in the first place. Please don’t assume that by printing out 200 pictures of yourself and sticking those up over campus will win you an election as you’ll just be disappointed.

Make yourself available, in person or virtually so publish an email address or facebook group that you can be contacted on should anyone want to ask you a question. Think twice before giving out any personal information though!

Campaigning

allowance

All candidates are allowed to spend up to £20 of their own money to support their campaign. This money will not be reimbursed by the Students’ Union.

All expenditure must be accounted. Anything that has a cost must be accounted for; this means that if an item or activity at any time incurred a fee then that fee must be charged to the candidate’s campaign allowance.

All candidates will be expected to provide receipts for all purchases related to their campaign. Any candidate who fails to declare all expenditure and provide valid receipts may face sanctions up to and including disqualification from the election.

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What will you have to do as a Liberation Officer or Sections Officer?

g part of who identify as bein ts en ud st of ew vi e You will represent th bbatical Team and Sa e th t or pp su p, ou ction gr ent your liberation or se to the relevant stud em th om fr n io at rm fo mmittee channel important in t on the Executive Co si so al ill w u Yo a. rs groups and vice ve EHSU. the political policy of g in tt se r fo e bl si on which is resp

of ring they are aware su en , ts en ud st to ur role r.

You will promote yo ort that you can offe pp su e th d an SU e th your position within in ts gathering opinions en ud st ith w e at ic un mm students You will regularly co ents that may affect pm lo ve de of ed rm her order to remain info ail, meetings, and ot m eh ug ro th ck ba eding from your group, fe ion. forms of disseminat present the views of re to gs tin ee m te opria You will attend appr students. s e Sabbatical Officer th ith w rm te r pe g ast 1 meetin ts’ You will attend at le d within the Studen te en es pr re e ar p ou your gr ensuring students of bbatical Union Students’ Union’s Sa e th to n io at rm fo in You will relay key Officers. s that are relevant to ee itt m om /c gs tin ee other m You will attend any your role.

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What makes a good Liberation/ Sections Officer?

You must be passionate an d keen to be actively involv ed in developing the student experience.

You must be able to comm unicate and motivate confi dently and effectively, but also recep tive and a good listener.

You must be able to work respectfully, confidently, ta ctfully and without bias.

You must be prepared for meetings, including attend ing training, reading papers and ensurin g you consult with student s to evidence your contributions.

Why stand to be a Liberat ion or Sections Officer?

You will learn new skills su ch as advocacy, representa tion and leadership

You will help to improve th e student experience for ot hers You will meet new people and develop new networks You will gain loads of new skills from running an elect ion campaign You will gain an in depth un derstanding of the Universi ty and Union.

You will gain communicatio n, public speaking, interpers onal, and team working skills.

You will increase your emplo yability.

You will have the opportunit y to attend and represent EHSU at National NUS events

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rules

and regulations

All of the rules and regulations are set out in this next section. This is our ‘Election Bye-Law’ so it is one of our legal documents with rules we must abide by as a Union.

Anything you need to know about how the elections work will be in here.

1 The Returning Officer 1.1 The Executive shall appoint a Returning Officer on an annual basis.

1.2 The Returning Officer will be responsible for the conduct and administration of all elections. They shall have the sole right to interpret all elections regulations.

1.3 The Returning Officer may not be a member or employee of the Union or be a member of Edge Hill University staff, but they may appoint an Assistant Returning Officer, who will normally be a Union staff member and will carry out delegated duties on their behalf.

1.4 The ruling of the Returning Officer will be final.

2 When Elections Should Happen 2.1 The Returning Officer shall ensure that the election of all Union Officers and Representatives takes place before the end of the spring term.

2.2 Within twenty (20) academic days of voting beginning, a copy of the election timetable and election bye-law will be made available to the Union membership.

2.3 Once elected, members shall commence their term in office from the 1st July and this shall expire on 30th June the following year. Flexibility of the start date due to a student’s course of study will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

2.4 In contrary to 2.3 the delegation for NUS conference will be elected in October each year for attendance at NUS Conference in April of the following year.

4 Liberation and Sections Officers 4.1 To stand for election to represent a certain liberation group or section group, the candidate must in the case of liberation groups self-define as part of that group or in the case of section groups be registered on a course of study respective of that group.

4.2 Should a liberations officer or sections officer position not be filled during the elections, a bye-election will be held in accordance with point 4.1 and the elections bye-law 4.3 Voting for all liberation and sections positions will be cross campus with the exception of Women’s Officer which will only be made available to students who have registered as female with the University.

5. How to Become a Candidate 5.1 To become a candidate, the student must be a full member of the Union and have completed both the nomination form and manifesto document by close of nominations..

5.2 Failure to submit a manifesto with the nomination form will invalidate the election nomination for that candidate. The manifesto must comply with the Union’s Equality and Diversity policy.

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rules

and regulations

5.3 Nominations for sabbatical positions will be open for a minimum of two (2) academic weeks.

5.4 Nominations for positions other than that of Sabbatical officers must be open for a minimum of 48 hours and will be set at the recommendation of the Returning Officer/ Assistant Returning Officer 5.5 Nominations will not be accepted from two or more members of the Union seeking election jointly for a single post.

6. Campaigning and Publicity 6.1 A maximum amount will be set for each election which will outline the amount that candidates may spend on their own resources. This amount will be set by the Returning Officer/ Assistant Returning Officer and be communicated at the start of each election. All resources will have a cost price determined by the Returning Officer or their assistant.

6.2 Candidates may not obstruct, deface or tamper with any other candidate’s campaign material.

6.3 Candidates or members of their Campaign Team may not actively campaign in the following areas: 6.3.1 Edge Hill Students’ Union Offices 6.3.2 Edge Hill University Library 6.3.3 The Learning Innovation Centre (LINC building) 6.3.4 Any dedicated IT suite on campus 6.4 Candidates must respect any University regulations on the positioning of posters or any other campaign material.

6.5 Any aggressive, offensive or malicious behaviour from candidates should be reported to the Returning Officer or their assistant as a complaint which will be dealt with accordingly.

6.6 Current Union elected officers must not campaign whilst actively engaged on Union business and current Sabbatical officers must book annual leave from their duties through the usual channels to campaign on their, or someone else’s behalf.

6.7 Where a candidate has access to a singular opportunity or significant competitive advantage due to a personal relationship or circumstance which could be used as a campaign aid, they must either declare a cost at a level agreed with the Assistant Returning Officer or offer the opportunity to any rival candidate contesting the same position.

6.8 Any candidate found to be in breach of any of the above rules may, at the discretion of the Returning Officer, be disqualified from the elections.

7. How Students get to Vote 7.1 The Returning Officer or their assistant shall publicise a list of candidates’ manifestos, no later than two (2) academic days after the close of nominations where voting is open for 4 academic days or more. For voting periods of less than 4 academic days then manifestos shall be publicised within 24 hours of nominations closing.

7.2 Students vote using an online system. All full members of the Union will log into the Union website (using University credentials) and vote.

7.3 Before being able to cast a vote online, voters shall see candidates’ names and manifestos.

7.4 Re-Open Nominations (RON) shall be a candidate in all Union elections.

7.5 Voting will be by secret ballot and conducted in accordance with the rules for the operation of the alternative voting (AV) systems as defined by the Electoral Reform Society.

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rules

and regulations

7.6 A contingency plan will be in place should there be any fault with the online system.

8. Declaration of Results 8.1 The Returning Officer shall inform the candidates when the election results will be announced and how candidates or their agents may scrutinise those results.

8.2 A list of successful candidates will normally be posted on the Union website within one working day following the declaration of results.

8.3 The results will be confirmed as final after one working day has passed providing no complaints about the count have been lodged with the Returning Officer. In the event of a complaint being received, the results shall remain provisional until the complaint has been resolved.

8.4 The Returning Officer should send a written copy of the result to the Union President, the University Vice Chancellor, Chair of the University Board of Governors and the Students’ Union Board of Trustees.

8.5 Once the result of any election has been declared any digital records of the election should be retained by the Union or its agents for a period of six (6) months and shall remain confidential unless required by the Returning Officer and/or the University exercising their responsibilities under the 1994 Education Act. 9. Complaints 9.1 Any complaint concerning the good conduct of a candidate or the administration of the election should be received in writing by the Returning Officer before the close of the ballot.

9.2 Any complaint concerning the vote count of the election should be received in writing by the Returning Officer with in twenty four (24) hours of the results being read.

9.3 Any challenge or complaint concerning the good conduct of a candidate, administration of the election or concern of the vote count will be heard and determined by the Returning Officer within two (2) academic days of such a complaint being lodged by any full member or the candidate or their nominee.

9.4 In determining a resolution to the complaint, the Returning Officer, after hearing all appropriate evidence may: not uphold the complaint; halt elections for specified post(s); refer to a disciplinary panel of the Union or disqualify specified candidate (s) if, in their view, a candidate has breached election regulations or guidelines set out by the Returning Officer.

9.5 The ruling of the Returning Officer on any complaint shall be final.

10. Bye-Elections 10.1 If any Union position falls vacant, the Chair of the Board of Trustees in consultation with the CEO of the Union shall determine when a bye-election shall be called.

10.2 There shall be no more than two (2) bye-elections held in any academic year.

10.3 Bye-elections shall comply with this election bye-law with the exception of the following: 10.3.1 Within fifteen (15) academic days of voting beginning, a copy of the election timetable and election bye-law must be made available to the Union membership.

10.3.2 Once elected, members shall commence their term in office from the declaration of results (assuming no complaints are made) until the 31st July that academic year.

10.4 Nominations for Sabbatical positions will be open for a minimum of one (1) academic week. Nominations for positions other than that of Sabbatical officers must be open for a minimum of 48 hours and will be set at the recommendation of the Returning Officer/ Assistant Returning Officer

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anything else

you need to know

What is a ‘Returning Officer’?

The Returning Officer (RO) is an external person appointed by Edge Hill Students’ Union to oversee the elections process and ensure they are conducted in a fair and democratic manner. They will make decisions on how the elections will run and will make any judgements on complaints if and when necessary. This year our RO is Alison Chappell.

The Returning Officer has appointed a Deputy Returning Officers to act as a first point of contact for all election enquiries.

The DROs for this year’s elections are Lauren Beckett & Cleve Rushton – suelections@edgehill.ac.uk - 01695 657301

Make Sure you Read the Rules

These aren’t something we wrote because we were bored, they are part of the Students’ Union governance procedures and failure to stick to these could see you disqualified from the elections. They’re actually easy rules to follow, but we won’t take ignorance as an excuse.

If in Doubt Ask

It’s better to take a minute to ask rather than unknowingly break a rule!

Use Common Sense when Putting up Posters

If you’re in doubt as to if you can put a poster up in a building, just ask. But as a general rule, don’t put them over display boards or on glass doors which will obscure people’s views, don’t blu tac them on painted walls, the Faculty of Education don’t allow posters anywhere other than in Waters Edge and see below for info about the bar. If you choose to ignore this advice, you’ll find your posters will just be taken down by the University.

Don’t use stickers!! We’ve agreed with the University that this won’t happen as they cause a real mess and it would be a shame to spoil such a beautiful campus.

Be aware of the campaigning rules in the SU Bar & Quad

• No physical promotional material what so ever is to be put in there, including posters, flyers, stickers etc. You can go in wearing campaign t-shirts and speak to students, but that’s it.

• If people are eating in there, leave them be, speak to them when they’re done.

• The SU Bar and Quad reserve the right to withdraw the opportunity to campaign in there at any time.

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