RSU Elections

Sabbatical Officers

There are three full-time sabbatical roles that are paid £23,000 per year. These are;

• RSU President
• Vice President Community & Welfare
• Vice President Education

Sabbatical Officers exist to ensure the interests of all students are represented to the University, the RSU and other stakeholders. They run campsins, activities and events to address issues affecting students.

You can find out more about what these roles here

Part-Time Officers

There are 27 part-time voluntary officer roles which help to hold the sabbatical officers to account, steer the direction of the Union and ensure the interests of all students are represented.

Each officer role represents a different group of students and is one of the main points of contact for the students they represent. A vital part of all roles is to ensure this is being done effectively at all meeings they attend in their position.

Officers will run campaigns, activities and events to address issues affecting students they represent and foster a sense of community, whilst creating awareness of and encouraging engagement with the RSU.

Part-time Officer roles include;

• Digby Stuart College President
• Froebel College President
• Southlands College President
• Whitelands College President
• Digby Stuart College Deputy President
• Froebel College Deputy President
• Southlands College Deputy President
• Whitelands College Deputy President
• Asian & Minority Ethnic Students’ Officer
• Black Students’ Officer
• Chair of Students’ Union Council
• Environment & Sustainability Officer
• Gender Equality Officer
• Interfaith Officer
• International Officer
• LGBTQ+ Officer
• Mature Students’ Officer
• Mental Health Officer
• Mount Clare Site Rep
• Muslim Students’ Officer
• Off-Campus Students’ Officer
• Postgraduate Students’ Officer
• Societies Officer
• Sport President (Female)
• Sport President (Male)
• Students with Caring Responsibilities Officer
• Students with Disabilities Officer
• Trans Students’ Officer

Nominations

04/02/22 10:00 – 03/03/22 10:00

If you would like to run in this years elections you will need to do four things.

1. Read the rules (found below)
2. Use the Election widget below to submit you nomination along with signatures of your fellow students supporting your nomination. Please remember that sabbatical officer positions require three nominations form each college to a total of twelve nominations. College President and Deputy President roles require eight nominations from students of that college. All other roles require eight nominations.
3. Write your manifesto (we will be providing manifesto writing sessions to help with this if needed).
4. Submit your completed nomination and manifesto to us

Running a successful campaign can be challenging, so we will be holding optional Election Workshops through the nominations period to give you tips on writing your manifesto and help with you campaign

Candidate Briefing and Candidate Question Time

All candidates must attend the Candidate Briefing and Candidate Question Time.

Candidate Briefing will take place on March 3^rd at 17:00. This will be an opportunity to learn more about the elections process and give you an overview of the rules and regulations.

Candidate Question Time will take place on March 10^th at 17:00 and will give all those running for a position the opportunity to present their manifesto objectives and a chance for students to challenge and ask questions.

During this period you will be able to campaign in line with the rules of the election.

Voting and Campaigning

14/03/22 10:00 – 18/03/22 11:00

This is the most important time for all candidates. It’s your chance to campaign to the student body by promoting you manifesto, objectives and getting your message across to students.

Please make sure to consult the rules and regulations around campaigning to ensure you are running a fair campaign.

Voting will take place between March 14^th at 10:00 and March 18^th at 11:00.

All votes will be counted and verified at the close of voting and the winners announced from 17:00 on March 18^th.

General Rules

1. The RSU elections are subject to the law, University and RSU policies and by-laws. Candidates and their campaign teams must adhere to these.
2. The election will be conducted in accordance with the election by-laws and the election Rules and Regulations. The Returning Officer’s interpretation of these is final.
3. All Candidates should be enrolled as students at the University of Roehampton (and its partner college/institutions) at the close of nominations. All students who have withdrawn or been programme terminated are not eligible to run until any appeal has been upheld and student status has been regranted.
4. All students have the right to vote independently and without pressure from candidates nor their campaign teams.
5. All Students of the University of Roehampton (and its partner college/institutions) are eligible to vote if they are a student on the opening day of voting.
6. Candidates and their campaign teams cannot vote on behalf of others. If a student needs help, they should ask a member of RSU staff.     
7. All votes are cast online. Any electronic device which can be used to vote will be classed as a polling station. Candidates and their campaign teams must not interfere with any polling station and cannot give any of their own or hired devices to another student to vote with.
8. The RSU and the University of Roehampton, including all recognised student clubs and societies, cannot endorse any candidate and serve solely to ensure the election is run freely and fairly.
9. Candidate manifestos must include the name of the candidate, the position they are standing for, a photo of the candidate and be no longer than 500 words.
10. All candidates must attend a candidate briefing before they are eligible to run. Any candidate unable to attend must let the Deputy Returning Officer know with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice by sending an email to elections@roehampton.ac.uk.
11. The elections Rules and Regulations are decided by the elections committee. Candidates in breach of these Rules and Regulations are subject to penalties as decided by the elections committee. Such penalties can include but are not limited to, verbal warnings, written warnings, and disqualification from the election.
12. Candidates may withdraw from the election at any point by informing the Deputy Returning Officer by sending an email to elections@roehampton.ac.uk.
13. The elections committee reserves the right to postpone or stop the election at any time if they believe the election is not being conducted in a fair manner.

Candidate Campaigning

1. Campaigning is permitted online and on-campus from 5pm on Monday the 7^{th of} March 2022. On-campus campaigning may be subject to change based on government and University COVID-19 restrictions.
2. Candidates and their campaign team must not interfere with/remove/change other candidates’ promotional material, even if another candidate’s material is posted in breach of these guidelines. In such a case, candidates should notify the Elections Committee.
3. All RSU and Library spaces must not be used to campaign in. This includes the RSU building, Hive Café, Union Bar, and the library, as well as RSU owned online and social media spaces.
4. Candidates must obtain the permission of the owner or manager of any space such as walls, windows, pillars doors, before posting any campaign materials (this includes but is not necessarily limited to virtual spaces such as social media pages and groups, websites, and online forums).
5. Candidates and their campaigners are permitted to post once per day, per Facebook group (or alternative online forum) that they have permission to access.
6. Candidates and their campaign teams must not bribe, impersonate, or harass any student during the elections.
7. Candidates must not attack other candidates in a derogatory or inflammatory manner in person, in writing, by illustration and online. Candidates are encouraged to engage in discussion and debate about ideas, views, and opinions and it is expected these are done in a constructive, respectful manner.
8. Candidates are not permitted to campaign with other candidates in a team or share or appear in physical or virtual resources (such as posters, flyers, videos, and social media posts/pages/groups).
9. Campaign materials can reference the RSU, University or Colleges but must not display their respective logos. Please use #RSUelections 
10. Candidates or their campaign team are not permitted to dress up in any of the official college mascot costumes.

Candidate Resources

1. All candidates can access the campaigning pack on the RSU election webpage, the contents of which will be outlined by the Elections Committee in the candidate briefing session. 
2. Candidates are not permitted to exceed the campaign expenditure limit of £30 for Full Time Officer candidates and £20 for Part-Time Officer candidates. *

*Budget amount subject to change based on candidate numbers and the subsequent cost to RSU. The exact amount will be confirmed during the candidate briefing.

1. Upon production of receipts candidates will receive up to 50% of their budget refunded to them by RSU. A simple budget and receipts must be emailed to the Deputy Returning Officer through elections@roehampton.ac.uk before the close of voting at 2pm on the 18^{th of} March 2022

Incumbent Officers

1. Candidates who already hold an elected or appointed position within the RSU may not use union time, funds, resources, or official social media to enhance their own campaign or that of another candidate for the duration of the election period.

Interpretations

1. The Returning Officer is responsible for the final interpretation of these Rules and Regulations and final decisions sit with them.

Environmental Guidance

1. RSU holds values of being environmentally aware and we encourage all students to think of the environmental impact of their campaigning. If you have any questions about how to make your campaign more environmentally conscious, please contact the elections committee.

If you have any questions about the language or clarification of these guidelines, please do not hesitate to contact elections@roehampton.ac.uk.

Voting Process

1. Voting will be done online at www.roehamptonstudent.com. Students will be presented with all elections they are eligible to vote in.
2. All members of the Union may vote by putting their student ID into the website.
3. Votes will be cast online, and all eligible voters will be able to access the voting system. Votes will be cast confidentially, and it is a secret ballot system.
4. The votes will be counted by the ‘Alternative Transferable Vote’ system as defined by the Electoral Reform Society. This system will be explained online when students go and cast their vote and at the ballot stations.
5. Re-open nominations (RON) shall be a candidate for all positions.
6. The elections counts will be conducted through automated software using our membership system

Complaints

1. Any challenge or complaint concerning the administration and good conduct of the election shall be heard and determined by the Returning Officer within 48 hours (where possible) of a written complaint being lodged by any full member or the candidate or their nominee.
2. Any complaint against the conduct or administration of the election shall be received in writing by the Elections Committee before the end of polling, at: elections@roehampton.ac.uk
3. If candidates wish to make a complaint about another candidate’s campaign, they must report this in writing to Deputy Returning Officer, at: elections@roehampton.ac.uk
4. Any candidate who has an appeal lodged against them will be notified at the earliest opportunity.
5. You will have 48 hours to appeal any complaint in writing to the Elections Committee via elections@roehampton.ac.uk
6. A challenge or complaint once the count has started shall only relate to the conduct of the count and shall be lodged with the Elections Committee who shall resolve the complaint within 48 hours of it being lodged.
7. The Elections Committee will decide on the penalty (if any) of any candidate complaint, this can range from a verbal warning to disqualification from the election.

Candidate Publicity, Budgets & Expenses

1. Candidates are permitted to create their own publicity. The cost of printed publicity should be accounted for in candidate budgets. Candidate spending should not exceed £30 (for full-time officer candidates) or £20 (for part-time officer candidates).
2. Candidates must submit an expenditure budget and receipts for any item they buy for their campaign. This should be submitted to elections@roehampton.ac.uk no later than the end of voting (13:59 Friday 18^th March 2022). We expect to see a simple list denoting the items purchased, the quantity and cost and we will use this information to monitor candidate spend. Candidates are eligible to claim 50% of their expenditure back at the close of voting.

Pre-term Agreements

1. A student wishing to stand for election to Sabbatical are required to meet with the CEO of the Students’ Union, at: elections@roehampton.ac.uk. Those wishing to stand in College President or College Deputy President are required to meet with their respective Head of College.
2. This will be an informal chat about the role and to understand the expectations that the roles require.
3. This will be an opportunity to ask questions, understand how the college supports and empowers student leaders.
4. Meetings must be arranged in advance, and they must take place before Thursday 3^rd March 2022 at 10:00am.
5. As part of these meetings, students wishing to stand for election will enter into an agreement that signifies their understanding of the nature of the role, any pre-requisites, and expectations.

Other Information

1. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, candidates may campaign in person, on campus but are expected to respect covid precautions i.e., wearing masks, keeping a safe distance from others, and taking regular lateral flow test whenever they attend campus.
2. The Returning Officer and Deputy Returning Officer are responsible for final interpretation of the rules and procedures.

1. Deputy Returning Officer (DRO): Mark Gillespie, Roehampton Students’ Union (RSU)
2. Returning Officer (RO): Appointed SU Elections Returning Officer (NUS (National Union of Students))

If you have any questions about or require clarification of these Rules and Regulations, please do not hesitate to contact elections@roehampton.ac.uk.

Here at Roehampton, we use a Single Transferable Voting system as we feel this is the most representative to our student body.

Most elections will use the 'First Past The Post' method whereby the candidate with the most votes is declared the winner.

Using a single transferable vote, you are able to select your candidates in order of preference, Ranking them from most to least favoured. Therefore, your voice is always represented no matter what happens.

Candidates are required to receive at least 50% of the votes cast and if no candidate has received this margin in the first round of voting, the candidate with the least votes is removed. The votes cast will then be awarded to the person you have voted as your second favourite.

Candidates will be removed and their votes split until a clear majority has been decided for one candidate.

This means that even if your most favoured candidate is removed in the early rounds, your voice is still represented and can create an influence on the overall outcome.