Undeb Bangor Councillor Elections Guide 17-18

Undeb Bangor Councillor Elections Guide Introduction It’s great you’re interested in becoming an Undeb Bangor Councillor. This guide will tell you everything you need to know about what you need to do to run to be an Undeb Bangor Councillor as well as all of the rules and regulations governing the Undeb Bangor Councillor Election process.

What is an Undeb Bangor Councillor?

In brief Undeb Bangor Councillors are elected by their peers to sit on Undeb Bangor Council (UBC) and represent their fellow students’ views. They get to discuss, debate and vote on the ideas and policies that come to UBC. This allows them to have a say on the projects and initiatives Undeb works on throughout the year, as well as stances on things that matter to the student body.

For more information about the role of an Undeb Bangor Councillor you should read the “Short Guide to being an Undeb Bangor Councillor” here.

Full role descriptions of each Councillor position can be found at www.undebbangor.com/ubcelections.

Who can become an Undeb Bangor Councillor?

Any student has the opportunity to become an Undeb Bangor Councillor. All you need to do is nominate yourself online within the nomination period and then get students to vote for you when the time comes.

We provide a full and comprehensive training programme for all those elected and no previous experience is needed. The only things you will need to do to be successful in any of the roles above is supply ideas, be creative, bring energy and show enthusiasm. We also have a full staff team who work to support and develop our involved students.

Key Contacts and Elections Officials If you have questions pop into Undeb Bangor on the fourth floor of Pontio, call us on 01248 388000 or e-mail us through elections@undebbangor.com. Some other Key contacts are below; Contact Rob Samuel Democracy and Representation Coordinator Rob.samuel@undebbangor.com 01248 383651

Mair Rowlands Undeb Bangor Director and Deputy Returning Officer mair.rowlands@bangor.ac.uk

Responsibilities Responsible for the logistics of the elections and helping to increase the level of participation by students.

Talk to Rob if you want to know more about standing as a candidate for election or have any questions during the campaigns and elections period.

Deputy Returning Officer who will oversee and carry out the election operations on the ground. If anything is unclear, then please check with that person before carrying out any action.

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NUS UK Returning Officer

To guarantee that our elections are transparent, fair and democratic we appoint an external person to oversee all formal Undeb Bangor Elections. This person is called ‘The Returning Officer’ and they have ultimate control and authority over interpretation and implementation of the rules and regulations that govern Undeb Bangor Elections.

To ensure that our elections are democratic and fair we have an Elections Committee who ensure that the elections run fairly on behalf of the student body and the University. They assist in the preparation of the election and decide rules, publicity and the content of various briefings. Their role during the elections is to support and safeguard the democratic process and be on hand during the campaigning and voting periods.

Election Committee members cannot link to any specific candidate or their campaigns.

Elections Committee

Your Elections Checklist If you’re running in the elections, keep yourself on track by using this checklist.

To do list…

Read the elections guide Decide what position to go for Nominate myself online at www.undebbangor.com/ubcelections Submit manifesto to elections@undebbangor.com Submit slogan to elections@undebbangor.com Attend the candidates briefing Ask any questions about things I’m not clear about Plan how I will campaign for votes Vote for myself Campaign and encourage other students to vote

Elections Timetable Event Nominations open online Manifesto and slogan Deadline Nominations close online Candidates Briefing

Week Welcome Week

Day Monday

Date 17 September

Time 09:00

Week 1

Friday

28 September

Midday

Week 1

Friday

28 September

Midday

Available Online

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Voting Opens Voting Closes Training for elected UBC Members

Week 2 Week 2 Week 3

Wednesday Friday Thursday

3 October 5 October 11 October

19:00 17:00 18:00-20:00

The Elections Process The main stages and processes of standing in the Undeb Bangor Councillor Elections are; Nominations, your manifesto, your publicity, campaigning, voting and the count.

Nominations To stand for election a formal nomination must be submitted online through www.UndebBangor.com. Upon successful nomination you will receive an email to confirm delivery of nomination and subsequent candidacy in the election.

Nominations submitted after the advertised deadline will not be accepted.

By submitting a nomination for election you agree to the following and give Undeb Bangor permission to: • • • •

Include your name in publicity and press releases for Undeb Bangor Elections Display your manifesto/written statement and photo in publicity for Undeb Bangor Elections Display your name and contact details on our website if you are successfully elected Forward your name, email address and Student University Card Number to the University for them to verify that the information you have provided is correct

Manifestos Candidates are strongly encouraged to submit a candidate manifesto. Manifestos have a strict word limit of 300 words. They may be submitted in either Welsh or English and will be translated by Undeb Bangor.

Manifestos must be submitted as a word processing document to elections@undebbangor.com by the deadline outlined in the Election Timetable. Please name your document in the following format; Candidate Name Manifesto. (e.g. Rob Samuel Manifesto.docx) What is a manifesto?

A manifesto is your declaration of why you are running for election, what you hope to achieve if elected, details of your main policies and why students should vote for you. Think about the following points when creating your manifesto: • What do you want to achieve in this role to benefit other students?

• What has inspired you to run for this role?

• What do you think is Bangor Students ‘Union’s key function and why?

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Slogans Candidates may also submit a slogan which may not be more than 10 words in length.

Slogans must be submitted as a word processing document to elections@undebbangor.com by the deadline outlined in the Election Timetable. Please name your document in the following format; Candidate Name Slogan. (e.g. Rob Samuel Slogan.docx) Publicity No printed publicity material is permitted in the Undeb Bangor Councillor Elections.

Candidates are permitted to use online media such as Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms for campaigning purposes. All posts on social media must be bilingual in line with the rules and regulations outlined later in this document.

Campaigning The campaign period is when you can get out there, speak to students and campaign for votes. Within the boundaries of the rules and regulations you can be as creative as you like. You can also get friends to campaign on your behalf. Please note, you are responsible for the conduct of anyone campaigning on your behalf.

Voting Voting is held completely online through www.undebbangor.com on the dates shown on the election timetable. Voting is done using the alternative transferable vote system, which means; • You vote with numbers instead of a tick or a cross, giving the number 1 to the candidate you like the most.

• You then rank the candidates in order of preference, number 2 for your second favourite, 3 for your third and so on.

• Once voting is completed, all of the first preferences are counted and if no one has achieved 50% plus one of the vote, the lowest ranked candidate is eliminated and their votes transferred to the next preference. This continues until a candidate passes the 50% plus one threshold, or until there is only one candidate left.

• This system means that your vote continues to influence the result of the election even if your first preference does not win.

• Re-Open Nominations is included as a candidate within all elections

The Count •

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The count will take place once voting has closed and will commence only if the Returning Officer is satisfied that all complaints relating to the conduct and administration of the election have been resolved. Complaints after the count has commenced may only relate to the conduct of the count.

The count will be conducted according to the guidelines laid down by the Electoral Reform Society where possible, or as agreed by the Elections Committee where no guidelines exist.

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• •

The candidate or their appointed representatives or any other Member may, if they so wish, attend the counting of the votes, as observers only.

Any Member wishing to observe must apply to the Returning Officer prior to close of voting.

Elections Rules and Regulations The Undeb Bangor Councillor Elections are governed by Bye-Law 7 – Elections, of the Undeb Bangor Constitution (which can be viewed here - ) and by the rules and regulations set out below, as approved by the Undeb Bangor Trustee Board and Elections Committee.

Breaking any of these rules may result in sanctions being placed on a candidate, campaigner or campaign.

Nominations 1. A candidate is only entered into the election when they have successfully attained the following criteria: 1.1. Nominated themselves using the online nominations process by the nominations deadline.

1.2. Is a current, registered, student at Bangor University or (in the case of Officer Trustee elections only) is a current serving Undeb Bangor Sabbatical Officer in their first year of office.

1.3. Attended the Candidates’ Briefing, or received a verbal briefing from the Deputy Returning Officer if they were not able to attend and had sent apologies in advance.

1.4. Agree to be bound by these rules and Undeb Bangor Bye-Law 7 – Elections.

Manifesto Text 1. To run with a manifesto candidates must submit their manifesto text, in Welsh or English, as a word processed document to elections@undebbangor.com by the deadline in the elections timetable.

2. Manifesto text limits are; 2.1. Undeb Bangor Councillor Elections: no more than 300 words in whichever language it has been submitted in.

Conduct 1. Candidates and campaigners who through their involvement with, or who hold (or have held) positions of responsibility within Undeb Bangor may not use resources available to them and not to other students. This includes Undeb Bangor purchased equipment and clothing, any central Undeb Bangor mailing lists and official Undeb Bangor social media groups. This list is not exhaustive, but does not include any individual club or society held mailing lists or social media accounts.

2. Candidates are responsible for all campaign activity carried out in their name; this includes the actions of third parties on their behalf.

3. Candidates and campaigners may not: 3.1. Force, coerce or in any way intimidate students, particularly when they are near or in the act of voting.

3.2. vote on behalf of another student 3.3. intimidate any participant in the election 3.4. deliberately sabotage any campaign other than their own 3.5. deface another candidate’s materials, publicity, online media, social networking site etc 5

3.6. make an attempt to defraud the election 3.7. make any attempt to influence the impartiality of the Returning Officer, Deputy Returning Officer, Elections Committee or Undeb Bangor staff 3.8. discuss the personal traits of another candidate 3.9. Misrepresent another candidate’s views or make claims about themselves or any other candidate that are untrue.

3.10.

Set up their own 'voting station', hand voters an electronic device for the purpose of voting, supervise or watch a voter in the act of voting, or demand that voters take out their own electronic device in order to vote immediately 3.11. bring the election process into disrepute 4. Candidates and campaigners must: 4.1. Uphold the letter and spirit of the election rules and the Undeb Bangor Equal Opportunities, Zero Tolerance to Harassment and Bilingual policies at all times.

4.2. Follow the laws and regulations of both the land and the University at all times Elections Spending 1. Candidates have a spending limit, which may not be exceeded or increased.

2. Spending limits are the following 2.1. Undeb Bangor Councillor Elections – £10 2.2. Student Trustee Elections - £10 2.3. Sabbatical Officer Trustee Elections - £25 (This figure does not include printing but does cover all other election expenses.)

3. Everything used in the election is given a cash value by the Returning Officer, or their nominated Deputy (excluding items listed in Section5.1 below). For clarity, this rule applies to ‘campaign gifts’ which may have cost you nothing but hold a ‘real world’ cash value.

4. All resources and methods that you use in your election campaign that could be given a monetary value should be available to all of the other candidates. It is the responsibility of the candidate to check this before using them with the Deputy Returning Officer.

5. The following items for example are readily available to all candidates and their supporters and so their fair use does not carry a cash value: 5.1. Old T-shirts; Paint; Old bedsheets; Marker Pens; Blu-tack; Pre-used cardboard; Old wood; Pencils; String; Sticky tape; Pins, Pre-owned Fancy Dress items. This list is not exhaustive and any questions should be directed to the Deputy Returning Officer.

5.2. This rule has been included to assist candidates in making election time exciting, vibrant and high profile. The returning officer and their deputy are aware that this rule may be open to abuse and will be closely monitoring campaign resources as a result. Please remember that they are the people who determine ‘fair use’.

Printed Publicity Material 1. Undeb Bangor Councillor Elections 1.1. No printed publicity material is permitted in the Undeb Bangor Councillor Elections Non-Printed Publicity 1. Social Networking 6

1.1. Facebook: 1.1.1. Your page name must be bilingual 1.1.2. You should have your introduction, manifesto and the election timetable and voting instructions displayed Bi-lingually.

1.1.3. Status updates, notes, wall posts and discussion topics may be displayed in the language of your choice.

1.2. Twitter 1.2.1. You may campaign in the language of your preference 1.3. Other social media 1.3.1. Where applicable you should have your introduction, manifesto and the election timetable and voting instructions displayed bi-lingually

Translation and Bi-lingual Policy 1. Your manifesto text and ALL of the text for your publicity material (posters / leaflets / flyers / banners / t-shirts etc,…) must be handed in with your nomination by the publicity deadline 2. Your text will be translated, checked and returned to you. It is your responsibility to ensure that you give Welsh and English equal prominence on your publicity. For consistency we recommend that Welsh is to the left or above the English. Examples of previous election publicity exist on the Undeb Bangor website to help guide you.

3. The translation limit for publicity prepared before the start of campaigning is: 3.1. Undeb Bangor Councillor Election – A total of 350 words. This includes 3.1.1. Your manifesto – 300 Words 3.1.2. Your slogan – 10 words 4. Following the translation of all of the publicity received by the deadline candidates may submit further designs or text for translation if they so wish but should allow the translation unit a reasonable amount of time to carry out the work. Delivery of this translation cannot be guaranteed, although all efforts will be made.

Elections Videos 1. You are encouraged to make elections videos and publicise these on social media.

2. Videos may be in the language of your choice.

Complaints 1. All complaints made about candidates, campaigners, election officials or the voting process should be submitted in writing, by e-mail, to the Deputy Returning Officer. Only complaints submitted in writing will be considered. The complaint must highlight the election rule that has been broken, provide evidence of the breech 2. In the first instance the Deputy Returning Officer will consider a complaint and make a ruling within 24 hours. If it is a deemed to be a serious matter the Deputy Returning Officer may refer it immediately to the Returning Officer for consideration.

3. Complaints regarding the conduct of the Deputy Returning Officer should be made in writing directly to the Returning Officer.

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4. Complaints have to be submitted before the election count has taken place. Only complaints about the process of the count itself will be considered once the count has started, and these must be submitted within 24 hours of the results being declared.

5. The sanctions available to the Deputy Returning Officer are: 5.1. Warning a candidate of their future conduct.

5.2. Taking steps to level the playing field to right an election regulation breech.

5.3. Fining a candidate through either reducing the amount of money they may spend, or by confiscating printed publicity material.

5.4. Prohibiting a candidate and their campaigners from campaigning for a period of time (up to 24 hours).

5.5. Banning a campaigner from the rest of the campaign (where the campaigner is not the candidate).

6. In addition to all of the above sanctions, the following are available to the Returning Officer: 6.1. Suspending a candidate from the election pending an investigation 6.2. Suspending the election process pending an investigation 6.3. Recommending to the elections committee, and to the University, that a candidate be disqualified 6.4. Recommending to the elections committee, and to the University, that the election be re-run or a vote annulled.

7. Candidates may appeal against decisions made by the Returning Officer and their Deputy by submitting their appeal in writing, by e-mail, within 24 hours of the decision being made, following the appeal procedure detailed below: 7.1. First stage appeal is heard by the Returning Officer; if the candidate remains dissatisfied then, 7.2. Second stage appeal is to the Elections Committee who will hear the case put forward by the candidate and the case put forward for imposing sanctions by the Returning Officer, or their nominated Deputy.

7.3. Final stage appeal is to the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Students, or their nominated deputy.

8. Any e-mail communication to the Returning or Deputy Returning Officer will be acknowledged via e-mail return within 24 hours, if this is not received please do not assume that we have received it - contact 01248 388000 to check.

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