Election Handbook

Election Handbook

Welcome Welcome to the UPSU Elections 2011, and thank you for putting yourself forward for election.

During the election period you will have the chance to develop a significant number of skills which, whether you win or lose, will undoubtedly be of value to you in whatever you choose to do for a career. Running an election campaign can involve project management, time management, presentation skills, negotiation skills, leadership, assertiveness, problem solving, creativity, personal discipline, and a whole host of other key skills.

How much you take advantage of this opportunity is up to you. It is fact, however, that no candidate has ever won any election purely by just putting themselves forward, no matter how many friends they might think they have. Whether you think you are the hot favourite or have no chance, the reality is that at this stage pretty much everyone is even. It’s all to play for. Good luck, and may the best man or woman win.

In this pack you will find as much information as we can muster on the elections. However, we still haven’t covered everything.

If you are unsure on anything or need more information then please ask. It will be assumed by the elections team that you have read all of this before campaigning starts and therefore ignorance of any of the detail will be no excuse if anyone has a complaint against you: please take the time to read it.

There are a number of paradoxes which it is important to get your head around before you start:-

1.

It is the job of those running the campaign to make the playing field as level as possible.

2.

Every candidate tries to find a way to get advantage over the other candidates.

3.

Playing fields are never level, no matter what you do.

The Returning Officer will always try to ensure that any rules they make consider whether someone has deliberately tried to get unfair advantage in their actions. If this is the case then they will normally take action.

This may include anything up to total disqualification from the elections. If it is the case that someone has a slight advantage due to something like their current position or their membership of a particular club then it is unlikely that this fact alone will be considered an unfair advantage.

The golden rule throughout the elections is that if you are even slightly unsure of anything then please ask. Every year someone gets disqualified for stupid mistakes which could easily have been avoided. Don’t let that be you.

Mel Lonsdale

UPSU Retuning Officer and NUS Regional Organiser (South)

Principles The elections operate to two fundamental principles:

1.

UPSU wishes to encourage the active involvement and creativity of its members inside the electoral process.

2.

UPSU requires fairness in its elections process and appoints a Returning Officer to achieve this.

The elections rules and associated campaigning and publicity regulations set out the ways in which these two principles are balanced. However, they are not exhaustive. As a result, from time to time, the Returning Officer, during the course of the election, may vary or further define the regulations herein, in the form of rulings. You should check your email account regularly to ensure that you are aware of any rulings that have been made.

The Rules Context During the election campaign you are likely to be involved in a series of activities. It is important to remember that during the election campaign you are still bound by sets of rules that, whilst not strictly election rules, still have a bearing on your conduct.

Union Rules: This includes abiding by the Union’s constitution, rules and procedures. If you breach these and the Returning Officer does not take action under the auspices of the election rules, you may still be subject to the Union’s disciplinary procedure, which in its ability to revoke membership rights, may put your candidacy in jeopardy.

The success of the elections are dependent upon you the candidates. It is your ability to successfully promote yourself and convince students to vote that will get them to the ballot box.

University Rules: The University operates a number of rules that relate to the student community and use of its facilities and property- e.g. bullying and harassment policy, computing use, damage to university property and buildings etc. If you breach these and the Returning Officer does not take action under the auspices of the election rules, you may still be subject to the University’s disciplinary procedure, which may also put your candidacy and student status in jeopardy.

The Law: The fact that you are standing in the election does not remove you from the auspices of the law of the land! Again, if you breach these and the Returning Officer does not take action under the auspices of the election rules, the Returning Officer reserves the right to refer the matter to the appropriate authorities, which may also put your candidacy in jeopardy.

Who’s who in the elections As you all know by now, there are a few different people involved in the elections. Below are the details just to reiterate the facts. All these people can be contacted via elections@upsu.com if you have any formal communication to submit, please do so via email rather than by phone as we will then have a record of it, as will you.

a. Returning Officer

d. Administrators

The Returning Officer has overall responsibility for the elections. Their decision is final and only challengeable through the official university complaints procedure.

The Returning Officer is independent from UPSU so as to protect any internal officials from any suspicion of bias. The Returning Officer this year is Mel Lonsdale who is the NUS Regional Organiser for the South of England.

Tracy Priestman, Democracy and Campaigns Co-ordinator, is the prime contact for all things administrative.

b. Lead Officer The Lead Officer is the elected officer with responsibility for ensuring that the elections happen. This year it is Matthew Chan.

Matthew has overall co-ordination responsibility for the elections and will be able to answer most questions. Matthew does not make rulings or interpret the rules, that is the job of the Returning Officer.

c. Deputy Returning Officer This is the person on site who acts for the Returning Officer in the management of the elections process. Andrea Roberts the UPSU Deputy Chief Executive is the Deputy Returning Officer. Although Andrea does not make rulings, she advises on consistency and past practice in relation to the elections. She is also responsible for ensuring that the wishes of the Returning Officer are carried out.

e. Marketing Rob Gofton, Director of Marketing and Social Enterprise, leads overall on the marketing of the elections he also liaises with the external provider of the website. Oliver Horne, Communications Co-ordinator, ensures that all the elections publicity material is produced and works closely with Rob to promote the elections effectively.

The positions open In this election there are the following groups being elected:-

Union Executive Officer - Full Time positions

There are 5 fulltime positions, known as Sabbatical Officers. The primary role of a Sabbatical Officer is to represent the students of the University of Plymouth, this may be within the Union, the University, local community or even on a national level. Each Sabbatical Officer is a Trustee of University of Plymouth Students’ Union.

This means that they are a member of the Board of Trustees that governs the Union and is responsible for the financial and legal running of the Students ‘Union.

Each Officer also has specific responsibilities relating to the predominant area in which they work. Sabbatical positions are paid as they are full-time, and require you to take a year out of study or take office as soon as you graduate. Your period of work runs from July of the year you were elected, until the following July.

Union Parliament Part Time Positions All part-time officers are expected to attend Parliament to represent the views of students within their remit.

They are also expect to attend Union and University meetings and assist with Union events as required. They are expected to get involved with UPSU campaigns and to run their own campaigns with assistance from UPSU as needed.

All candidates are expected to promote the Elections in addition to their own campaign.

President Deputy President Vice President Education & Welfare Vice President Sports Vice President Activities and Communications

Positions vacant in this election are: Parliament Chair Postgraduate Campaigns Chair Mature Students Campaigns Chair Racial and Ethnic Campaigns Chair Environmental and Ethics Campaigns Chair Welfare Campaigns Chair Education Campaigns Chair Women’s Campaigns Chair Students with Disabilities Campaigns Chair International Students Campaigns Chair Part-time Students Campaigns Chair Placement Students Campaigns Chair LGBT Campaigns Chair Media Rep 8x Independent (“Non-Portfolio”) Representatives Faculty Reps, one for each faculty School Reps

It is important that, as candidates, you are aware of all the elections that are going on and understand why and how they relate to each other. When you are campaigning you will undoubtedly be asked about other elections and about the Union in general. It will not look good if you are not aware of all the elections that are going on.

The voting system Online voting We are using a tried and tested company for our online voting. The company is BAM who have experience of online students’ unions elections. It is important for you to know as candidates that none of the officials in the election have any access at any time to the voting records. The only information we have passed to us is the total number of votes cast at any one time.

Single Transferable Vote (STV) At UPSU we use a voting system called the Single Transferable Vote system (STV). You will probably be more used to the “first past the post system” - where everyone puts a tick or a cross against their one preferred candidate and the person with the most votes on this first count wins. In STV voters are allowed to number their preferences, so if there are 6 candidates, they may fill in the ballot paper from 1 to 6. When the first votes are counted, if no one has received enough to be the clear winner (50% for elections with only one

vacancy) then the person with the least votes is eliminated and the second preferences of all their ballot papers are transferred to the other candidates. This continues until either there is only one candidate left, or someone exceeds the number of votes needed to be deemed elected. All this means that as a candidate you have the opportunity to get people to vote for you by putting you second, third or even fourth or fifth preference. These votes could be the difference between winning or losing, this will be covered in more detail at the training session. If you don’t understand any of this, please ask and we can go though it with you individually. It’s very important for positions where more than two people are standing.

Random order of names The system we are using randomly selects the order each time a paper is generated and even tracks the order such that no candidate appears at the top more than others.

Re-open Nominations (RON) In all UPSU elections we give the voter the choice to vote for ReOpen Nominations (RON). This means that even positions that only have one real person going for them could still lose to RON, this has happened before!

www.upsu.com All voting for these elections will be online.

It is important that you regularly check the website, familiarise yourself with the election pages, and constantly check your emails for updates from us.

In terms of what you will need to send to us for the website, you must send all or some of the promotional documents to elections@upsu. com by 12 noon on Monday 21st February.

Candidates standing for full-time or Union Parliament positions can submit the following documents for publication of the UPSU website, there will be a link from the ballot form to these documents:

1.

A statement from you (500 words for full-time, 300 for part-time). This must be a word document written in unformatted text only.

Images, formatting table etc. cannot be accepted.

This is where you are able to introduce yourself to the voter and give them more information about you as a person, this could be details about your skills and experience or what you feel that you can bring to the position.

2.

We will require a photo for the ballot paper and overall promotion of the elections, as this needs to be at high resolution we will take photos after the training on the 16th February

3.

One promotional video clip, no more than 1 minute long, this will appear on the UPSU website and you-tube A brief introduction, who you are, the position you are running for and your manifesto points, video clips must be in mpeg format. Please contact the elections administrator if you would need to borrow a webcam.

4.

An A4 size electronic manifesto which may include pictures or imagery. Any text must be in Arial with a minimum of 12pt size. This must be jpeg only, PowerPoint slides, Publisher etc will not be accepted.

5.

One electronic poster from your campaign.

A4 sized portrait or landscape jpeg format.

As we show these on the screens in the Union please make sure they will be legible i.e. not too much text in a suitable size. You are not limited to one poster design for your campaign but we can also publish one on the website.

6.

One URL link to an external website

This can be to facebook or similar social networking site or an external website. Please see the following information on ‘what is campaigning’ for more details.

7.

If you are known by something other than your given name i.e. if you have a nickname everyone knows you by or you shorten your name this can be used on the ballot paper. Please send this information with your manifesto.

All of these are optional, but they will affect your image on the website if you do not submit any of them, as we will need to post “nothing submitted” against your name.

Your manifesto is your chance to let voters know who you are and what you stand for, what will you do if elected, what are the problems as you see them, what will you change? It is worth spending time finding out what the issues are and what if anything can be done about them.

PROOF OF SENDING YOUR DOCUMENT IS NOT PROOF OF DELIVERY. When your document has been received we will acknowledge this by return email, if you do not get an email assume that we do not have your documents.

It is the candidate’s complete and sole responsibility to ensure that all required documentation is delivered in the appropriate format by the appropriate deadline.

DO NOT ASSUME THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE EMAILED US THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED IT. EMAIL REGULARLY FAILS AND IS NOT A GUARANTEE OF DELIVERY BY A CERTAIN TIME.

Any documentation received after the deadline will be refused.

The deadline is a deadline, not a target.

Campaigning tips How are you unique?

There may be several other candidates running for the same position as you, what makes you different? Think about how you can stand out from the crowd, how are you going to ‘brand’ your campaign and ideas.

Target Market

While you need to promote yourself and the elections to as many students as possible it may be beneficial to ensure that you contact specific groups. Are there certain groups that could have a specific interest in the position you are running for?, how can you contact them? Have you addressed their needs/concerns in your manifesto? That said it is also important to realise that some students may not agree with some of your ideas.

Be concise

Concentrate on a few key ideas, be aware that voters may not be able to take the time to read masses of text. Outline the issue and what you will do about it if elected.

Use your time wisely

You will not be able to campaign 100% of the time; plan where and when is the most effective use of your time. How does this fit with the groups of students who you aim to speak to?

Get a campaigns Team

Get your friends to help you; you can cover more ground this way. Make sure everyone knows the plan, they are speaking on your behalf and need know what your manifesto points are. They are subject to the rules of the election and it is down to you to make sure they know and abide by the rules.

UPSU need to know the name and contact details of your campaign leader, this needs to be someone you trust as we will contact them if we are unable to get hold of you.

Be innovative

Stand out from the crowd, however, you need to stay within the rules of the elections, if in doubt ASK. Any of the elections team will be happy to help with any questions you may have.

Make a positive personal impression

Posters and flyers do not win elections, speaking face to face with people does. Look at ways that you can address several people at one time. Remember they need to have a positive impression of you, badmouthing other candidates is NOT the way to do this. Negative or offensive comments or actions against any other candidate or campaign team will not be tolerated and will result in disciplinary action as determined by the Returning Officer.

Try to take the time to relate your campaign to their needs or concerns, even if they say they are already voting for someone suggest they vote you as number 2 preference – this can win elections.

Rules of campaigning Towards the back of this document you will find a copy of the standing rules of the elections. If you do not have a copy, then please email elections@upsu.com The following sections are for additional clarification and answer many of the FAQs from the candidates training. As always the golden rule is, if you’re not sure, ask.

What is campaigning?

Campaigning MUST NOT commence until 12:00noon Friday 25th February.

This means that no flyers, posters, items of clothing associated to a candidate’s campaign or other means of written publicity can be displayed before this time.

Please note that conversations are not included in this definition of campaigning and communication via electronic means is deemed as conversation NOT written material and therefore is permitted e.g. conversations on facebook or emails to friends.

Specifically; You can set up a facebook group / fanpage to outline the fact that you are running in the election before official campaigning commences.

You cannot publish your manifesto online, ask people to vote for you or launch a specific campaign website (e.g. www. votejoe.com) before official campaigning commences.

Where can I campaign?

The legitimate areas for campaigning are those areas within the students’ union which will be identified in the candidates training sessions. If you wish to campaign in any other University of Plymouth building, halls of residence or Partner College you must seek prior permission from the relevant parties.

Candidates may campaign in UPSU Partner night clubs, only on the associated night. Promotional clothing may be worn but posters, flyers, stickers, anything that may cause damage or littering may NOT be used. What this means is that any inappropriate publicity or perceived campaigning on the high street, or in bars or shops off campus will be deemed unacceptable.

Remember, just because UPSU recognises that these areas are legitimate areas does not mean that you can automatically poster and flyer everywhere. You must seek the express permission of anyone that controls any areas that you wish to campaign in. Please remember that you are representing UPSU in this campaign. Please do not disrespect our reputation.

Any complaint received by the Returning Officer by any external agency will be viewed as extremely serious.

Publicity The Union invests a lot of time, effort and resources into promoting these elections. The onus is now on you to promote yourself and encourage people to vote.

The publicity you can use is entirely up to you as long as it stays within all rules and regulations, but you may not use any UPSU branding. You are responsible for any publicity associated with your campaign. This includes cleaning up at the end of the election period. It is not acceptable for you to leave all your publicity up after the ballot closes. Please be responsible and just spend some time after 12 noon on Monday 7th March clearing up your publicity.

Emails, texting, phone calls, website forums and general use of personal data In previous years we have had a lot of trouble with the University over the misuse of emails which ultimately led to the disqualification of candidates.

Legally, you are not permitted to use any personal data you might have access to for any use other than that for which it was originally intended.

If just one person complains to the Returning Officer that you or any member of your campaign team have abused their

personal data then the Returning Officer will have to act. This could well lead to your disqualification.

A far as social networking forums, i.e. facebook and myspace or websites are concerned; the Returning Officer has ruled that the group name/website is registered with the Elections Administrator. All groups must be open and accessible to all i.e. no closed discussions. Negative content about other candidates is not permitted, in the case of any complaints the Returning Officers decision is final.

All online campaigning is deemed to be official and done with the permission of the candidate concerned. This includes posts made by campaign teams even if it is not endorsed by the candidate, it is therefore the candidates responsibility to ensure that their campaign team are aware of all the rules.

Rules of campaigning continued Expenses The election rules quite clearly state how much each candidate has for their election. Even if you are using your own money in the election you must provide receipts in a sealed envelope with the name and position you are running for to the Elections Administrator by 12 noon on Monday 7th March. Without these receipts you may not be able to be allowed to complete the election and could be disqualified.

You must account for all materials you use. You may not accept donations or sponsorship which might be termed a gift. Anything you use must be a true cost value to your expenses so if you are using materials you already have you must allocate them a realistic value. Expenses can only be paid for those items you have a receipt for.

One exception to this is where you choose to use transport to get around.

You may do this at your leisure..

Campaign team leaders and campaign teams

Use of upsu: logos and strap lines

Most of you will have your friends helping you in this election. Anyone helping you in your campaign will be deemed to be a part of your team and will be bound by the same rules as you. They act for you and you will be accountable for their actions. It is essential therefore that you fully brief your campaign team on what they can and cannot do. If they are caught campaigning against the rules then you will be penalised. If any of your friends send mass email or block texts then you will be liable. Take your time to brief everyone.

It is not permitted for you to use any of the UPSU corporate imagery in your campaign as this could lead to the perception that UPSU was endorsing your candidature. This means you can’t use the logo or any of our strap lines including - your voice, your choice, your union, more than just a bar and transforming lives through experience.

In order to help us contact you, we need the name and contact details of someone who you are prepared to call your Campaign Team Leader. This needs to be someone you trust as we will take their word in your place as being your word. We need their details emailed to elections@upsu. com by 12 noon on Monday 21st February.

You may use www.upsu.com in your publicity and we would encourage you to advertise this website as widely as possible.

UPSU will provide you with some standard text about us and the elections which you may use unaltered in your publicity if you wish

Anyone who campaigns on your behalf must be a current student of the University of Plymouth. Please do not try to use lecturers, other University staff, students from other institutions or external associates in your campaign.

Signing off eligibility to be a Charity Trustee plus compliance with SU Constitution and election rules

Every candidate for a full-time position should have signed an “eligibility to be a Charity Trustee” form. If you have not, then please contact the Elections Administrator.

All candidates, by submitting their application, have agreed to abide by the UPSU Constitution, Equal Opportunities Policy and Elections Rules. Not being aware of this fact will be no defence if you break any of the rules, if in doubt ask.

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What happens if you have an issue?

If you have an issue or a question at any time then please let the Returning Officer know. Do not contact them directly, do so via the Lead Officer or Election Team, as quickly as possible.

The Lead officer will then contact the Returning Officer on your behalf. In all matters relating to the election the Returning Officer’s decision is final.

When voting closes, the Returning Officer will need to ensure that every candidate has had every dispute resolved prior to the announcement of the result, UPSU will check with each candidate that they have no outstanding issues as soon as the ballot closes, no results will be declared until all issues are resolved. Once the result has been announced no new issues will be heard unless they are in relation to the counting of the vote.

Any issue raised with the Returning Officer will need to be filed with the Lead Officer on the Elections Complaints form; this will be forwarded to the Returning Officer for her response. All complete complaint forms will be available to view on the notice board in the Students’ Union foyer. Formal complaints cannot be submitted anonymously although candidates may informally discuss any issues with the Lead Officer who may seek the advice of the Returning Officer or his deputy.

Additional needs If you feel that any of the campaigning rules may cause you to be unfairly disadvantaged please discuss this with the Lead Officer or the Elections Administrator by emailing elections@upsu.com. The Lead Officer or the Elections Administrator will need to be made aware of your potential additional needs prior to the start of campaigning on 25th February.

Election calendar 2011 MON 14TH FEB

TUE 15TH FEB

THU 17TH FEB

FRI 18TH FEB

SAT 19TH FEB

SUN 20TH FEB

THU 24TH FEB

FRI 25 TH FEB

SAT 26TH FEB

SUN 27TH FEB

Compulsory Training 1st Session: 12:30 Cookworthy building room 410.

2nd Session: 18:15 Roland Levinsky Building room 008.

You must attend one of these sessions

12pm Nominations close

MON 21ST FEB

WED 16TH FEB

TUE 22ND FEB

WED 23RD FEB

12:00 noon Manifesto Documents Deadline Email to:

12:00 noon Start of Campaigning and Voting

elections@upsu.com 14:30: 6 Nations, Italy v Wales 17:00: 6 Nations, England v France 17:30: Live Football, Chelsea v Birmingham 22:00pm: Ultimate Saturday

13:00: Live Football, West Ham v Liverpool 15:00: 6 Nations Scotland v Ireland 16:00: Live Football Arsenal v Birmingham

Campaigning and Voting MON 24TH FEB

TUE 1ST MAR

WED 2ND MAR

13:00 Candidates Question Time Sublime, SU.

20:00: Live Football Manchester City v Fulham 20:00: Open Mic Night 22:00: Fuzzy Logic Official UPSU Monday Night at Oceana

19:00: Live Football Chelsea v Manchester United or Chelsea / Everton v Reading.

22:00: Twisted Tuesday’s Official UPSU Tuesday Night WOW Nightclub, Barbican

THU 3RD MAR

FRI 4TH MAR

SAT 5TH MAR

SUN 6TH MAR

20:00 Candidates Question Time Sublime, SU.

22:00: C103 Official UPSU Wednesday Night at C103 Nightclub

22:00: Pilgrimage at Karma Official UPSU Thursday Night Karma Nightclub

22:00: The Big Cheese 22:00: UP:Beat DJ SOC

12:30: Live Football Birmingham v West Brom 17:30: Live Football Manchester City v Wigan 22:00: Ultimate Saturday

MON 7TH MAR 12:00 noon End of Campaigning and Voting

11am: UPSU Beer Festival 2011

For all up to date info of events happening at upsu please see upsu.com

13:30: Live Football Liverpool v Manchester United 15:30: Live Football Wolves v Tottenham 20:00: The Big Quiz