University of Chichester Students’ Union Candidate Handbook Contents The Election Process
2
The Election Timetable
2
What’s in it for me?
5
Slates, Agents and Supporters
6
How do I get elected?
6
Publicity
8
Effective Campaigning
10
The Returning Officer & Deputy Returning Officer
11
The Voting System
13
What Next?
15
Candidates Checklist
16
1
The Election Process It is expected of candidates that they read and fully comply with the Election Regulations. Election regulations are strictly enforced and failure to comply may result in candidates not being eligible to stand or being excluded from the election. Attend the Candidates Meeting at 5:00pm on Friday 12th February (Bognor Regis Campus) and at 5:00pm Monday 15th February (Chichester [Bishop Otter] Campus) to find out more about running a campaign and the rules that you need to observe. The Deputy Returning Officer, Mike Riley, is available to answer any questions throughout the election process and will also receive requests for official rulings or complaints, etc. and refer these to the Returning Officer where appropriate. With any queries email m.riley@chi.ac.uk or drop in to the offices of the Students’ Union (along the corridor from the Hub on Bognor Regis Campus and above Zee bar on Chichester [Bishop Otter] Campus). Ignorance is not a defence for failing to comply with regulations of the election process.
The Election Timetable Please note that some dates and times relating to the election are subject to change and you should check your email regularly to be sure of what’s happening. Nominations Open
12:00pm Monday 18th January
Nominations Close
12:00pm Friday 12th February
Candidates Meetings
5:00pm Friday 12th February (John Parry 2, Bognor Regis Campus) & 2:00pm Monday 15th February (Cloisters, Chichester [Bishop Otter] Campus)
Candidates Declared
10:00am Monday 22nd February
Campaigning Begins
10:00am Tuesday 23rd February
Question Time
5:00pm Tuesday 23rd February (Zee Bar, Chichester [Bishop Otter] Campus) & 5:00pm Thursday 25th February (The Hub, Bognor Regis Campus)
Voting Opens
12:00pm Monday 29th February
Voting Closes
5:00pm Thursday 3rd March
Result Announced
8:00pm Thursday 3rd March
Details of Timeline
Nominations Open – 12:00pm Monday 18th January Nomination Forms will be available from this date. You can pick up your nomination form upstairs in the Students’ Union at Chichester, The Hub in Bognor Regis or on the Students Unions Website. 2
Nominations Close – 12:00pm Friday 12th February INCORRECT OR LATE NOMINATION FORMS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AND INDIVIDUALS WILL NOT BEING ABLE TO STAND HAND YOUR FORM IN EARLY SO YOU CAN GET IT CHECKED AND CHANGED IF NEEDED BEFORE THE DEADLINE! THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS FOR LATE FORMS, AND THEY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED Candidates Meeting – 5:00pm Friday 12th February, (John Parry 2, Bognor Regis Campus) & 4:00pm Monday 15th February (Cloisters, Chichester [Bishop Otter] Campus) A chance to find out more about what being an officer, representative or Trustee entails and the training and support you can expect to receive. The Deputy Returning Officer will go through the SU voting system, some practical aspects of the election and some helpful tips about running an effective campaign. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions and find out what happens if you get elected. The Election Regulations and how they will be enforced will also be explained and therefore it is vital for candidates to attend. You are advised not to spend too long perfecting your election campaign and related materials prior to this meeting as candidates often pick up great advice and top tips for effective campaigning at the meeting and so have to re-think and redesign their campaign strategy and materials once they have heard from the ‘experts’ and campaigning must not begin before 10:00am Tuesday 23rd February anyway so you will still have plenty of time to get those flyers designed!. If you are unsure about standing for election then submit your nomination form by the close of nominations and attend the candidates meeting. Hopefully the meeting will give you the reassurance and confidence to go ahead. If however, you decide you don’t want to go ahead then you can discreetly withdraw your nomination by speaking to the Deputy Returning Officer, before the candidates are publicly declared. The names of candidates standing in the election will be formally declared to the membership at 10:00am on Monday 22nd February. Prior to the candidates meeting the Election Officials will keep all nominations confidential. The Deputy Returning Officer may disclose the number of forms submitted overall but cannot name which individuals have submitted and for what positions. Start of Campaigning Period – 10:00am Tuesday 23rd February You are not allowed to campaign before this time, so please don’t put up any posters etc. as you will be penalised for breaching the election regulations. Campaigning will then continue right through until the ballot closes. It is important to remember that it is predominantly the responsibility of the candidates to ensure that the election achieves a high turnout of voters – it is not the Union’s responsibility to encourage students to vote.
3
Any publicity for your campaign MUST be APPROVED AND STAMPED by the Deputy Returning Officer prior to reproduction and/or display/circulation. More detailed information about election campaigning follows later in this handbook. The Vote! 12:00pm Monday 29th February – 5:00pm Thursday 3rd March The ballot will be held online to ensure that the maximum numbers of students have the opportunity to vote. The SU uses the Single Transferable Vote system. You will be provided with full information at the candidates meeting about how this works so that you are able to inform students of the process etc. Candidates are allowed to vote and should remember to vote – that extra vote for yourself could make all the difference! Election Results, Announcements, 8:00pm Thursday 3rd March Voting will close at 5:00pm. Because voting is done online the votes are counted electronically and this is much quicker and more accurate than counting by hand. Results they will be posted on the SU website. In the highly unlikely event there is a serious issue identified just prior to the announcement of the result (breach of regulations etc.), the results may be delayed until the following week and candidates will be advised accordingly, and kept informed of the problem and on-going situation.
What’s in it for me? Shape the University and the Union Students in these positions will have a direct impact on behalf of the student body on issues affecting students at the University, dealing directly with the University and senior management as well as being involved in how the Union is run and playing a prominent role around campus in implementing change. Transferable Skills Student Officers will be required to present information and reports in formal and informal meetings. Trustees will be expected to read and respond to a wide variety of information and through probing and relevant questions, improving skills in the understanding and analysis of complex information and data. Effective listening, team work, taking initiative, running campaigns, negotiation skills and good record keeping are all key aspects of the roles and will enhance your employability, skills and experience for your CV. Improved Self Confidence Student Officers talk to dozens of students throughout their term of office and thus become experts on students’ views. Officers will be required to present clearly and concisely the views of students informally and formally to the student body and at times to senior management and the local community. This scope of presenting information enhances a sense of self confidence through engaging with individuals at all levels of the University and in the local community. Developing Networks 4
Student Officers meet and work with various members of the student body, the University, the Union and the local community. Through such they will build and develop strong networks enhancing communication and partnership working skills. There will also be the opportunity attend various high profile events, conferences and regional meetings as well as meet with students and officers from other institutions to share ideas and build mutually beneficial relationships. Meeting Experience All Officer Roles include participating in various University and/or Union committees, wherein officers are able to gain experience of formal meetings, discussions and decision making. Through increased familiarity with decision making processes and systems officers are able to get the very best for our membership and the community as a whole. Volunteering Accreditation Once elected to the role (Part-Time Officers only), you will be able to register as a Union Volunteer. This will mean that you will eligible for this to count towards your Higher Education Achievement Report section 6.1.
Slates, Agents and Supporters Slates A ‘Slate’ is the name given when a group of candidates in an election decide to stand as part of a team and run a joint campaign as they share the same politics, policies, or priorities etc. If you are intending to stand as part of a slate (see the section on publicity for more details) you should ensure that this is indicated on your nomination form, or inform the Deputy Returning Officer at the Candidates meeting if you decide this after close of nominations – the Deputy Returning Officer will need the names of all the other candidates standing on your slate as well as the name of the slate, and will need confirmation of this from all the candidates involved to indicate their agreement and understanding of what this means. Candidate’s Agents & Supporters During campaigning you will want to enlist the help of friends and supporters to help you get elected, this is perfectly acceptable under the regulations. However, please note that as the named candidate you are responsible for the actions of your campaign team and they are subject to the same election rules as you. If your agents and/or supporters break the rules you may be sanctioned or disqualified so please make sure that they know the election rules and that you only use people you trust to campaign on your behalf. In the event that somebody is campaigning for you or against one of your opponents and you do not wish to be responsible for their behaviour ask them to stop and make clear to the other candidates that they are not a part of your campaign team, and notify the Deputy Returning Officer as soon as possible to avoid any unnecessary repercussions or penalties. An Agent is someone formally declared (on your nomination form) as someone who can act fully on your behalf in dealings with Election Officers, and Election officials will recognise them as equal to the candidate themselves in their dealings and disclosure of information etc. Supporters are others who may help you on your campaign team but Election Officials will not recognise them as your official representative in their dealings and will not return approved materials to them or discuss any element of your campaign or candidature.
5
How do I get elected? So, now you’ve decided to be a candidate, you obviously want to get your message out to the voters so they know who you are, and why they should vote for you. In order to keep the elections fair, the Election Regulations govern the nature and content of publicity and campaigning. It is very important that you read and understand them. Hand in a Nomination Form and your Manifesto You can find a nomination form online at www.UCSU.org/elections or by dropping into the Students’ Union either in the offices in Chichester or the Hub in Bognor Regis. When you’ve completed the form, hand it in to the Union Office in the Students’ Union at Chichester, behind the bar in The Hub at Bognor Regis or by email to m.riley@chi.ac.uk Nomination forms have to be received before Mid-day on Friday 9th October 2015. nomination forms handed in after this time will not be accepted.
Any
Your Manifesto is to be not more than one side of an A4 page and outlines information about yourself, why you want to be an officer of the Students’ Union and what your aims and plans will be if you get elected. Your manifesto can be submitted in colour and should be submitted as a .pdf file. We require a good quality electronic photo of you for display on the Union website. The photo should be submitted as a .jpg. We require a short statement of not more than 150 words which will go on the Union Elections Voting System. This statement should be a summary of who you are, or why you are running or the details of your manifesto. If you exceed the word count your statement will be cut short. If you are planning on using a Poster or Leaflet to assist in your election campaign you will also need to submit this for approval. Your poster should be a designed portrait poster that may be shrunk to roughly A5 (so keep text to a minimum). Your MANIFESTO, 150 WORD STATEMENT & PHOTOGRAPH m.riley@chi.ac.uk by 5:00pm on Monday, 15th February.
MUST
BE
SUBMITTED
TO
Think about the content and design of your manifesto as candidates have only one side of an A4 page to provide adequate information to assist voters – particularly those who do not know you. The manifesto will be posted by the Union as you send it in, the Union will not correct any spelling or grammatical mistakes for you. What you send in is what we will publish. However if your manifesto breaks any rules or Union policies then those sections will simply be blacked out (see the Election Regulations or ask the Deputy Returning Officer for more details). Your manifesto should fit and fill an A4 size sheet, but please remember it may be resized down by 50% to fit the publication size etc. so please don’t use a tiny font size to ensure it can still be easily read. Candidates are not obliged to submit a manifesto but if you do not your name will be published with the others but instead of a manifesto the Union will post “no manifesto submitted”, which will not assist you in gaining any votes and may result in you losing support from those who you assumed would have voted for you. 6
Candidates are reminded that it is their responsibility to promote the elections and to ensure that students vote – it is a common myth that it is the Union’s responsibility to ensure a good turnout but once nominations have closed then the onus on promotion goes to the candidates. Manifestos will be posted on the website before voting starts but if they are received afterwards they will be posted when it is convenient for the Deputy Returning Officer to do so, and please bear in mind they will be very busy during elections. Late manifestos WILL NOT be included in any printed publications.
Publicity During the campaign, candidates also get the chance to produce their own printed publicity. If you want to produce your own publicity then you need to abide by following guidelines: Covering the Costs The Union will make a contribution towards campaign costs in order to assist those students who may otherwise not be able to afford to run a campaign, and this is in line with our commitment to a free and fair election that all students have equal opportunity to participate, regardless of their financial situation. Candidates are responsible for covering any costs over and above this allowance and the section on ‘Budgets’ will outline how much money in total can be spent on campaigns, as this is also limited to maintain fairness and equality of opportuny . Individual Candidates: In contested elections In contested elections In uncontested elections
for part time positions for full time positions
Candidates on a Slate/Team: In contested elections for part time positions In contested elections for full time positions In uncontested elections
the SU will contribute up to £10 each the SU will contribute up to £14 each the SU will contribute up to £5 each
the SU will contribute up to £7 each the SU will contribute up to £9.50 each the SU will contribute up to £3 each
This money cannot be claimed until expenditure equal to that amount has been incurred, and is usually claimed after the election has run – speak to the Deputy Returning Officer if you will need it in advance. The Union contribution must be claimed from the Deputy Returning Officer by 5:00pm Thursday 22nd October, or it will no longer be payable to the candidate. You must provide all receipts for spending prior to the close of voting, or you will not be able to claim for those expenses. Create your publicity What you put in your publicity is pretty much up to you, though you do have to follow the Election Regulations when creating it. You will also get some handy tips when you attend the candidates meeting on Tuesday 13th October. Get your publicity approved In order to ensure that the Election Regulations are being adhered to, the Deputy Returning Officer approves all publicity before it can be printed. You should bring in the original copy to 7
the Students Union for stamping BEFORE you have it photocopied/printed – the Deputy Returning Officer will not stamp 200 copies of the same poster etc.! If your publicity has not been approved, then the reasons for this will be discussed with you, to give you the chance to make any changes that would make it acceptable. Once publicity has been approved you are free to get it reproduced and put it up around the Campuses. Please respect University rules and the guidance of any University Staff in where to place your publicity. Please note that it is highly unlikely that the Deputy Returning Officer will be able to find the time to approve publicity quickly on the election days so be sure to plan ahead and have everything you will need submitted in good time. The Deputy Returning Officer will endeavour to be in the office to approve publicity around lunchtime / early afternoon every day (Monday to Friday) from 19th to 22nd October so if you ensure it is submitted by midday then you should be able to collect it by mid-afternoon on the same day. Get your publicity printed All publicity has to be copied at retail/service outlets within Chichester or Bognor Regis only (including University Library or Reprographics), and every candidate must have equal access and opportunity to use that service at the same price and therefore no deals or ‘favours’ can be sought by candidates unless the same offer is made formally available (via the Deputy Returning Officer) to ALL candidates for that position (or in the case of a slate, all positions that have a member of that slate standing). Union resources, including the Union Photocopier/Printer and PCs cannot be used for election or campaign purposes by any candidate, or on behalf of any candidate, as this gives an unfair advantage to anyone who has access to this facility in their existing roles. If you breach any regulations regarding production or use of publicity you will be punished and may even be disqualified from the election. You must obtain receipts for all campaign expenses and submit these to the Deputy Returning Officer before 5pm on Thursday 22nd October, to enable all expenses to be confirmed legitimate and within budget, before voting closes and results are announced. Budgets Obviously, you can’t spend unlimited amounts of your own money on publicity and campaign stunts and so every candidate or slate is assigned a budget limit to ensure fairness regardless of individual students’ financial situation. These are as follows:
Individual Candidates Full time (Sabbatical) Officers
£20
Other (Non-sabbatical)
£15
Slates / Teams Full time (Sabbatical) Officers
£14 per person
Other (Non-sabbatical)
£10 per person
8
Using Social Media If you are intending to use Social Media to promote your campaign you MUST adhere to the following guidelines. Failure to do so may result in penalties or withdrawal from the election. •
• •
•
If you post to a page you must ensure that all other candidates also have the opportunity to do so. There must be no postings to closed groups, official pre-existing UCSU or University pages. You are responsible for any posts made on your behalf, so warn your agents and supporters that anything they post you may be held accountable for. Any posts made can only be about your campaign, you must never mention any opponent or candidate unless you are commenting about another candidate with whom you are running as part of a slate. Your comments must not bring the UCSU or the University into disrepute. Raising a point for debate can be acceptable but negative comments or criticising of Opponents, Students or Staff will not be accepted.
If you post to a page you must ensure your opponents also have the opportunity to do so there must be no postings to closed groups, official pre-existing UCSU or University pages such as societies/clubs/fresher’s etc. It is accepted that your friends may specify they have voted for you and support your campaign - this is ok as we have no control over what your friends post. You are however responsible for postings made by your campaign agents.
ABOVE ALL, PLEASE REMEMBER YOU CANNOT DO WHAT ANYONE ELSE DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITY TO DO. Other Campaign Items If you have ideas for other forms of campaign promotion then you are allowed to use them as long as they are sanctioned by the Deputy Returning Officer so check that they approve your idea. This is not normally an issue, but the Deputy Returning Officer needs to be aware of all campaigning activity so they can ensure that there is no unfair advantage or negative campaigning. Any Campaign T-Shirts or similar materials must also be stamped individually before they are worn.
Effective Campaigning So, you’ve got your publicity sorted out, now you need to go out and actually campaign and get people to vote for you. Here are a few tips to give you ideas about what you can do: •
Talk to students you don’t know – unless you’ve got a lot of friends (or even if you have), you’re going to need to get strangers to vote for you to get elected. The most effective way to campaign is by talking directly to as many students as possible. THIS WINS ELECTIONS.
•
Don’t spend all your time worrying about publicity – While having good publicity is undoubtedly a bonus for your campaign, actually meeting people will get you more votes than having the best laid out flyers in the election.
•
Make sure people who say they’ll vote for you actually do – Many candidates assume that all their friends will simply turn up and vote for them and spend all their time chasing up 9
other votes. Then, afterwards someone will say ‘were you standing for election? I didn’t realise’ which is one vote lost. If your friends say they’ll vote for you, remind them when and how they can vote. If you meet people who say they’ll vote for you and you see them when voting opens, remind them to vote for you. •
Get yourself as Second Preference – If you don’t manage to convince someone to vote for you directly ask them to put you as their second choice. With the voting system we use, the second choice can be as important as the first, and results have been known to change dramatically after the first round of counting, when the candidate with the lowest number of votes is taken out and the second choice of their ballots are counted towards the remaining candidates’ totals. This is a vital tactic for ensuring a good total each round of the count and to improve your chance of winning.
•
Be positive – When you’re campaigning and talking to people, tell them about who you are and what you want to do if you get elected. Focus on the positives of the changes you want to implement and the impact you want to make. Negativity breeds and spreads and leaves its mark on you as much as others. If you spend your time pointing out the flaws in your opponents, while it might stop the person you’re talking to voting for them, they will also view you in a negative light and be less inclined to vote for you. Actively campaigning against and/or slandering another candidate is also a breach of election regulations. Also, remember that no one (including you) is perfect – would you like to hear that other candidates are going round being negative about you?
•
Be yourself – You don’t have to be a ‘politician’ to get elected in the Students Union. You should just be yourself – if people think that the persona you are using to get votes is false, then they will be less likely to vote for you.
•
Don’t take it all too seriously – This is not the election for US President so don’t get too stressed about it all. At the end of the day life will go on if you’re not elected and the experience of running a campaign is a great learning curve and will help boost your confidence and strategic planning for the future so the time is never wasted whether you are successful or not. Above all do not let running in the election interfere with your studies or jeopardise your grades.
•
Think about why people may want to vote for you – Think back to any election you’ve voted in before –What persuaded you to vote for that particular candidate? Why were you dissuaded from voting for the other candidate(s)? Look at the reasons you’ve come up with and consider why people might want to vote for you and then play on those strengths.
•
Keep up the good work until the voting closes – you need to lay the foundations and promote your election throughout the campaigning period, and spread your campaign as far and wide as you can across both campuses. If you don’t maintain this throughout the voting period, constantly reminding people to vote etc., then all that hard work may have been wasted as students could forget to vote or may vote for the last candidate they spoke to. Plan your campaigning activity to cover the full canvassing period.
The Returning Officer and Deputy Returning Officer The Returning Officer and Deputy Returning Officer have the responsibility to uphold the Election Regulations. The Returning Officer is the NUS Regional Officer, and the Deputy Returning Officer is Mike Riley, UCSU Head of Student Engagement. The Deputy Returning 10
Officer will be the person you deal with on a day to day basis, and they will be in contact with the Returning Officer as required. Complaints While almost all candidates are keen to win their election fairly it is possible you may be concerned that another candidate is doing something unfair or in breach of Election Regulations, if this happens you may make a complaint. With all complaints its best to have an informal chat with the Deputy Returning Officer first and they can advise you. If you still wish to make a formal complaint you should write to the Deputy Returning Officer as soon as possible outlining who your compliant is against, what you believe they have done wrong and what rules you feel have been broken, or why you feel their conduct is unfair. You should also include any evidence you may have supporting your allegation such as photographs or clearly identifiable witness statements. The Deputy Returning Officer should let you know within two days that they have received your complaint and if they will be conducting an investigation, and if not, why not. If the Deputy Returning Officer decides to conduct an investigation they will let you know the results of it as soon as it is completed. If an investigation arises from a complaint made against you, the Deputy Returning Officer will contact you to advise this and to get your side of the story. They will not however, unless it is necessary to the running of a fair election, disclose who has made the complaint against you. After their investigation the Deputy Returning Officer will issue a ruling on the complaint. They have the power to impose minor sanctions such as fining you from your publicity allowance or banning you from campaigning for a period of time. If the Deputy Returning Officer considers your breach of regulations to be serious they will refer the matter to the Returning Officer who has much stronger powers including the ability to disqualify a candidate from the election. The ruling may also be published to the other candidates or the whole student body if the Deputy Returning Officer or Returning Officer consider this helpful to a fair election for example to clarify interpretation of a regulation or to prevent the same offence being repeated. The complaints procedure is there to ensure all candidates can compete in a fair and friendly manner it is not to be seen as alternative way of winning the election by getting your opponents kicked out. There is no reason why all candidates should not be able to get along during the campaign – the more energy you expend on in-fighting with other candidates is less energy spent on running your campaign and ultimately achieving votes. That said, please do not hesitate to bring to the attention of election officials any genuine concerns you may have or breaches of the regulations of which you become aware. For full details of the complaints procedures and sanctions please see the Election Regulations. Requesting a ruling from the Returning Officer The Returning Officer has the power to interpret the Election Regulations and issue rulings on any matter not covered by them. If you feel that the Election Regulations aren’t clear on an issue, you can request that the Returning Officer clarifies the Regulation(s) in question. Requests of this nature will normally be responded to quite quickly (often by the Deputy Returning Officer on their behalf). 11
Requests for rulings and complaints relating to campaigns etc. will only be accepted if submitted before the ballot closes. Only requests relating to matters or concerns that occur after the close of ballot relating to the count, etc. will be accepted once the ballot is closed.
The Voting System The Elections are conducted using a voting system known as the Single Transferable Vote or STV. The system requires voters to list candidates in order of preference, rather than simply voting with an ‘x’ for one candidate and is intended to ensure that the candidate who is elected has the support of a majority of the voters. What Voters Should Do Voters will receive an electronic ballot papers for each position to be elected and each should be treated completely separately. On each ballot paper voters should place the number ‘1’ next to the name of their preferred candidate. They should then place a ‘2’ next to their second preference, ‘3’ next to their third preference and so on until they either have no further preference (i.e. they are indifferent about remaining candidates) or there are no candidates left to vote for on that ballot paper. How it works When the votes are counted, to begin with all the electronic ballot papers are sorted and allocated to the candidate marked with a ‘1’ and the total number of valid votes is counted. Half the total number of valid votes + one (i.e. 50% + 1) are required for a candidate to be elected, this is called the ‘quota’. If a candidate has already exceeded the quota from the first preferences then s/he is deemed to be elected. If no candidate reaches quota then the candidate with the lowest number of votes after the first round of the count is excluded and their electronic ballot papers and the votes on them are then redistributed according to the second preferences listed. This process continues, with the candidate at the end of each round with the least votes being excluded and their votes redistributed until one candidate achieves the quota or an unassailable majority, and is therefore elected. None of the Above / Re-Open Nominations (RON) Union elections also include the option for voters to choose Re-Open Nominations (RON) instead of voting for any or some of the candidates. This is for two main reasons: Firstly, candidates who stand unopposed still have to face an election, and secondly, it means voters who disapprove of some/all of the candidates can express their opinion positively. RON operates in the same way as any other candidate and can be made any preference by a voter on the ballot paper. If RON wins the election, then none of the candidates are elected for that position and the election is re-run for that position. An Example The candidates in an election receive the following votes:
Smith Jones Richards Davis Clark Johnson RON
678 453 385 308 215 163 72
There are 2274 votes in total, so 1138 votes (50% + 1 = the quota) are needed to be elected. No candidate has received that many votes so RON, as the ‘candidate’ with the least number of votes, is excluded and their votes are redistributed to their second preference. 5 votes go to Smith, 10 go to Jones, 22 to Richards, 15 to Davis, 7 to Clark and 13 to Johnson. 12
Following the transfer (redistribution) of the RON/NOTA votes, the number of votes are now:
Smith Jones Richards Davis Clark Johnson
683 463 407 323 222 176
Votes are now as follows: Smith Richards Jones Davis Clark
690 505 494 327 258
No candidate has yet reached quota (1138) and Johnson now has the lowest number of votes, so they are excluded and their votes are now redistributed. 7 go to Smith, 31 to Jones, 98 to Richards, 4 to Davis and 36 to Clark. The 13 votes Johnson got from RON are transferred with the other votes at full value.
Because of transfers, Richards has now passed Jones. Clark is now excluded and those votes go as follows: 38 to Smith, 107 to Richards, 45 to Jones, 37 to Davis and 31 to no candidate. The 31 votes are set aside as ‘no further preference’ and the rest transferred.
Alongside the 31 ‘no further preference’ votes, the candidates now have the following votes:
Smith Richards Jones Davis
728 612 539 364
Because of the ‘no further preference’ votes there are now only 2244 valid votes in the election and thus 1123 votes are now needed to be elected (Quota is now 1123) No candidate has this number so Davis’ votes are redistributed: 65 to Smith, 143 to Richards, 85 to Jones and 71 ‘no further preference’.
There are now 102 ‘no further preference’ votes so the total vote is now 2173 and the quota is now 1088: Smith Richards Jones
793 755 624
No candidate has reached quota so Jones is excluded and these votes are transferred: 143 to Smith, 398 to Richards and 103 go no further.
There are now 185 ‘no further preference’ votes which means the total vote has gone down to 2090 and 1046 votes is now the quota: Richards Smith
1153 938
Richards is therefore elected, despite having been third in the number of first preference votes received, the transfer of votes from the excluded candidates (Jones, Davis, Clark, Johnson and RON/NOTA) has been sufficient to elect Richards ahead of Smith who led on first preferences. This may sound strange to you, but the result reflects that a majority of the voters ranked Richards as a higher preference than Smith or any of the other candidates and is therefore the preferred choice of the majority. If the election had been held with a simple ‘x’ vote, first-past-the-post system, Smith would have been elected, despite only being the first preference of less than 30% of the voters.
What does this mean for you? Few elections are won on first preferences alone and almost all candidates have to rely on transfers to get elected, so if you want to be elected you need to get people who intend to vote for other candidates to vote for you as their second or subsequent preference. 13
So, remember that when you’re campaigning – if you’re negative about other candidates then you’re going to cut down your chances of getting their voters to give you their preferences. Also, remember that if someone tells you that they’re voting for someone else it’s not necessarily a wasted vote and you can always try and get them to vote for you as a second preference.
What Next? Right then, Election Day has been and gone and it’s all over. If you’ve been elected, congratulations! If you’ve not been elected, commiserations! You’re sure to have gained valuable skills and experiences on the way and if you’re able you could try again next time. If you’ve been elected then get ready to start in your new role - pop into the Union for a chat about how we can support you in your new position. We will encourage new officers to arrange regular meetings with the SU to make hand over as easy as possible. Training will also be arranged for all elected officers and representatives. Student Trustees take office with immediate effect, and all other elected officers start on the Monday of the week following the election. But what if I don’t get elected? Not everyone can get elected – that’s the way elections work. unlucky ones you can still benefit from standing for election.
But, if you’re one of the
You’ve done something that very few other students have done and will have developed skills during the campaign that will help you when you leave Uni. Think back over all the people you’ve spoken to, the speeches you made at the hustings, the campaign you organised, and publicity you designed. Don’t forget about what you wanted to achieve, just because you didn’t win doesn’t mean you didn’t have some great ideas for the Students’ Union. You can talk to the successful candidates and see if they will take on some of your ideas as the election is over now so no need to keep things separate. There’s also always another election. As you’ve gained a lot of experience this time you could do better in the future – don’t be put off because you didn’t win this time round – lots of things change in a year, and you’ve also got a year to raise your profile among the students You can also consider getting involved elsewhere in the Union. If you genuinely want to contribute, and make a difference in the University or the Union, then you don’t have to be Student Officer or NUS delegate as there are plenty of ways that you can get involved. These can include being a Student Voice, member of a Union Committee, Club or Society Official, or someone who helps support our campaigns. All of these opportunities offer personal development and are of great value on your CV – Employers look for Graduates who have been pro-active and committed beyond their academic obligations, and a study recently showed that the vast majority of successful managers held a formal leadership role during their education such as sports captains or student representatives – so you should seriously consider getting involved, it could put you above someone else in the job race who has a better degree than you but no evident interest in gaining additional life skills and experiences. 14
Elections Checklist ! Yes! I have read this Candidate Handbook Nomination Form - By 12:00pm on Friday 12thth February:
! Yes! I have completed and handed in a nomination form to the Students’ Union or emailed to m.riley@chi.ac.uk
Candidate Meeting – 5:00pm Friday 12th February @ John Parry 2, BRC 2:00pm Monday 15th February @ Cloisters, BOC
! Yes! I have attended the Candidates meeting held on Friday 12th (BRC) or Monday 15th (BOC) February
! Yes! I have read and understand the Election Bye-Law and briefed my campaign team on the election rules.
Publicity – 5:00pm Monday 15th February
! Yes! I have emailed my manifesto in pdf format to m.riley@chi.ac.uk ! Yes! I have emailed my photo to m.riley@chi.ac.uk ! Yes! I have emailed a 150 word statement to m.riley@chi.ac.uk ! Yes! I have submitted a copy of my Poster and Leaflets for approval to the Students’ Union
Campaigning
! Yes! I have prepared my campaign and have had my campaign material approved by the Deputy Returning Officer.
! Yes! I have briefed my campaign team on the election rules and made them aware that their actions will reflect upon me and my campaign.
Before 5:00pm on the 3rd March
! Yes! I have completed and handed in a campaign expenditure form to the Deputy Returning Officer with receipts.
! Yes! I have been out and met with the electorate to encourage them to vote.
15