Understanding the Elections

How do I vote?

Voting takes place online via our portal. To vote in Student Leadership Elections, you must be a current Roehampton student, have a valid SU membership, and be logged into your account on our website. Don’t worry, unless you’ve opted out of membership, all students are automatically members of the Students' Union.

We recommend logging in ahead of the election period to check everything is working smoothly. There were some login issues earlier this year, and things can get busy once voting opens, flag any problems early so our team has time to help.

To vote for Student Group Committee positions, you must hold a standard membership to that group. Please note, to facilitate a fair election, membership purchases for student groups will be paused from the start of campaigning until the end of voting.

How does voting work?

Here at Roehampton, we use a Single Transferable Voting system (STV). It’s fair, flexible, and better represents our student body. STV lets you rank candidates in order of preference, from your top choice to least preferred. That means even if your first choice doesn’t win, your vote can still count toward someone else you support.

To be elected, a candidate needs to secure over 50% of the vote. If no one reaches that threshold in the first round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. But your vote doesn’t stop there, it’s transferred to your next preferred candidate. This continues until someone reaches the over 50% mark, making sure your preferences still help shape the outcome. Still unsure? Check out this video from another Students’ Union that breaks down STV.

What’s in it for me?

As a student, you pay a lot of money to attend University so your experience should work for you. As a member of the SU, you have a say in the decisions that shape student life. One key way to get involved is by taking part in Student Leadership Elections.

Whether you're voting for someone to represent you, or sanding for a role yourself, this is your chance to make a real impact. Elected student leaders advocate on your behalf and lobby the University, SU and other stakeholders for positive change.

Standing for a role is also a brilliant opportunity to build skills for your future. From public speaking to campaigning, you’ll gain experience that stands out on your CV, alongside personal and career development.

Ok, but what am I actually voting for?

This election will include our:

• Sabbatical Officers (full-time, paid roles) – These are the elected student leaders of the SU. It’s a full-time role where you’ll work with students, SU staff, the University, and the National Union of Students to lead change and improve student life at Roehampton.
• Part-time Officers (voluntary work) - College part-time Officers are RSU elected officers that represent and advocate for students within their respective Colleges. For College Part-time Officers, you can vote and run in the College tied to your student record.
• Student Priorities – As the SU is led by students, for students, that means you set the agenda. We’ve moved away from one-year manifestos and now focus on long-term Student Priorities. During the elections, you’ll vote on the key issues the SU should focus on for 2026/27. This helps us put our time, energy, and funding into what matters most to you.
• Student Group Committee Members (voluntary roles) – Student groups thrive thanks to their elected Committees - student volunteers who organise events, manage group activity, and make things happen. If you're a member of a student group, you can vote in their elections.
• Referendum on our Articles of Association – We’ve updated the SU’s Articles of Association. That’s the document that defines what we do and how we’re run. In this referendum, every student has the chance to vote for or against the proposed changes to how Roehampton Students’ Union is governed.

Has this changed from last year?

As your Students’ Union, we’re always looking for better ways to represent you and reflect what matters most to Roehampton students.

Last year, we launched a full Democracy Review to identify challenges with our current processes, listen to your feedback, and build a system that supports you more effectively. We looked at everything, from elected officer roles to how policies are proposed and how SU Council works. Every change was shaped by student input.

From the 2026/27 academic year, we’ll begin rolling out a new democratic structure designed to give stronger representation to our diverse and evolving student body.

Because of this, this year’s Student Leadership Elections look different from last year's. You can read more about the Democracy Review and see what’s changed in this year’s elections here.