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Elections Handbook
Sunderland Students’ Union
Non-Sabbatical & NUS Delegate Elections
Oct - Nov 2016
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Welcome to your Elections Handbook
We’re really excited that you’re considering running for a Non-Sabbatical position
in the 2016 Autumn Elections and want to improve the student experience here at
Sunderland.
This information pack intends to provide the following information:
How to stand in the elections
How the elections will be run
Where and when to access training and support to run a successful campaign
A timeline of important dates is also included in this pack.
If you have any further questions please contact:
Jason Bridgewater
Good luck!
University of Sunderland Students’ Union
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Sunderland Students’ Union
Our Vision
Your University experience should provide you with opportunities to grow, to develop and to
achieve, throughout your life. These academic, social and civic experiences are valuable: to you,
alumni, employers, and society more broadly. They encourage more equal access to jobs, and to
roles in civil society. You are central to, and an active participant in, your University experience.
Our Mission:
Make your university experience valuable to you, for life.
Our Values are:
Innovation and energy
Fairness and equality
Empowerment and accountability
1. Positions Available
6 Non-Sabbatical Officer positions are up for grabs in this election. A ‘Non-Sab’ is a part time
voluntary role and acts to represent a particular group of students through campaigns and
activities within the Students’ Union. They act as the driving force behind projects to benefit the
students they represent.
Also available are 3 spots to NUS National Conference which the sovereign policy-making body of
NUS and brings together nearly a thousand delegates from students' unions across the country to
discuss, debate and vote on motions and elect the political leadership of the organisation for the
year ahead. Sunderland Students’ Union has been awarded 4 places, however our President
attends in ex-officio, and as he identifies as male we require 2 of the other 3 to identify as female.
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Chair of Union Council:
Union Council, which oversees the policy direction of the students’ union by scrutinising and
directing the Executive Committee, needs to be chaired by someone who has a clear grasp of
procedure but, more importantly, a real desire to see people participate in an open meeting that
helps students to lead their union. This Officer, supported by the students’ union staff team, will
steer the democratic meeting of Sunderland Students, which will be held 2-3 times each semester.
This role has additional responsibility in that the Chair of Union Council represents students on
two of the committees which sit under the students’ union Board of Trustees – Appointments
Committee and Constitutional Committee.
Mature & Postgraduate Officer:
Sunderland students’ union and the University of Sunderland know how important Mature and
Postgraduate learners are. These two groups of students often overlap in membership and this
Officer will be part of making these communities the focus of their work. They’ll also usually make
sure that we play an active part in the NUS Mature Students Campaign and Postgraduate Students
Campaign as well as leading on policy development for associated conferences.
Equality & Diversity Officer:
It’s so important to make sure that every barrier to participation and success for Sunderland
students is considered and removed, and that we take every opportunity to consider new ways to
celebrate the contributions that Sunderland students make to our University community. The
Equality and Diversity Officer will work to ensure that students articulate their own ways that they
can do better, and that the students’ union and University respond. They may work on putting
pressure on the university regarding topics such as gender neutral toilets, or improvements for
disabled students. Equally they may choose to have involvement in the development of policy
with other students for campaigns such as the NUS Disabled Students’ Campaign.
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LGBT+ Officer:
The LGBT+ Officer will work with individual lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans students, and students
who define other than straight and cis, to make Sunderland a better place for everybody. They’ll
usually help deliver the student contribution to local Pride festivals, LGBT History Month, and will
lead our work in getting good, Sunderland-led, policy to NUS LGBT Conference.
International Officer:
The International Officer, a new role for 2016 will be our lead student on pushing forward the
internationalisation efforts of Sunderland Students’ Union, taking into consideration for the rich
and diverse student population here at Sunderland. They may work on international events and
campaigns, with international society groups and will help to develop policy which can be
submitted to NUS International Students’ Conference.
London Campus Officer:
This student officer will try their best to make sure that Sunderland Students’ Union and the
University of Sunderland are always working to include London Campus student communities in
their decision-making processes. They’ll spend their time working with students in London to
empower them to make change and improvements on a local level – often working closely with
the other executives to communicate the situation.
Delegate to NUS National Conference:
An NUS Delegate is a democratically elected representative who attends NUS conferences to
represent the views of the University of Sunderland Students’ Union members. As a delegate you
have 3 main roles at the National Conference which include; voting on policy, voting in elections,
and voting on reports – all of which direct national efforts of the NUS.
(You can be run to be both a Non-Sabbatical Officer AND an NUS Delegate!)
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2. Becoming a Candidate
Sunderland SU wants lots of different types of students to run in these elections, and so we’ll
create training resources and opportunities to help students who think they want to stand to find
out more and prepare for the election.
You should complete the online form if you want to be a candidate in these elections. You’ll only
need to nominate yourself; we don’t need you to get any other students to support your
nomination. The nominations period is from the 17th – 26th October and closes at 5pm.
To stand as candidate you must nominate yourself through our website at
www.sunderlandsu.co.uk. This is the only way to submit an application. You will be asked to
provide information about yourself, including a photograph and manifesto. A manifesto is your
public statement about why you want to stand and what you would do if you were elected.
Eligibility
We expect that candidates standing in the election will be a member of the group they seek to
represent if relevant, such as the International Officer being an international student and the
London Campus Officer being a student from that campus.
You must also attend a candidate briefing to run through the rules of the election and
what is expected of you.
The deadline for nominations is 5pm on 26th October 2016. Any nominations received
after this time will not be considered.
If you have any further questions, please contact:
Candidate Support Officer [email protected]
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3. Election Rules
We want our students to have a positive experience during the elections period. In order to do so
we have rules in place to make sure that the elections are free and fair for all.
Oversight of the Elections
The Returning Officer for all cross-campus elections will be an external expert, nominated by the
National Union of Students, and confirmed by Union Council and the Board of Trustees. They are
ultimately responsible for ensuring that elections are conducted fairly and democratically. They
will interpret these Elections Rules.
The Returning Officer will report on the success of all elections to the Executive Committee, Union
Council, the Trustees and to the University Board of Governors.
The Returning Officer will publish Elections Guidance annually, which will detail the arrangements
for conducting elections, and which will be binding over all candidates. The President will report
the Elections Guidance to Union Council and to the Trustees.
Conduct of the Elections and Referendums
The Executive Officers are elected in a cross-campus secret ballot of all members, using the
Alternative Transferable Vote (ATV) method. The ballot will be open for no less than two whole
days. (More about this in section 4).
The Elections Guidance
The Elections Guidance will make clear the Returning Officer’s expectations of candidates and
their campaigners. Specifically, the Elections Guidance will include:
The Nomination Procedure. Nominations must be open for no less than ten days and may be
reopened at the discretion of the Returning Officer.
The Voting Procedure. The Returning Officer will review, annually, the most accessible and
secure way for members to vote.
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The Complaints Procedure
Sunderland SU considers all elections complaints under the Elections Complaints Procedure only,
and the Returning Officer’s decision is final. The main Sunderland SU Complaints Procedure is only
appropriate for use if complaints are in reference to the integrity of the elections as a whole, and
not for any candidates’ actions. The Returning Officer may, at their discretion, use the Complaints
Procedure to caution, sanction or withdraw a candidate who does not meet reasonable
expectations
The Returning Officer for these elections is Peter Robertson, the Deputy Chief Executive
(Membership and Union Development) of the National Union of Students. The Returning Officer is
an independent expert who ensures the elections are secure, and in line with these rules. The
Returning Officer has full control of the elections, and has the power to caution, sanction, and
withdraw candidates. The Returning Officer will appoint Deputy Returning Officers (DROs) to deal
with day-to-day elections activities, but he has the final decision on all matters.
All complaints must be received by the DROs by the time that voting has closed.
Please the section on Complaints for an in-depth explanation of the procedure.
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4. The Election Process
Voting opens at 9am on Friday 28th October and closes at 5pm on Tuesday 1st November.
Voting
Evidence suggests that the number of students voting in an election is heavily influenced by how candidates talk to voters and encourage them to vote. Face-to-face contact is the most important thing about elections.
Students will vote on the Students’ Union website www.sunderlandsu.co.uk. They will need their University login and password to vote and must vote themselves – it is against the rules for students to vote on behalf of other students. Information about all voting stations will be on the front page of the voting website.
Publicity
The Students’ Union encourages all voters to produce their own digital publicity however we would like to remind students that face-to-face communication is a much more powerful way of convincing students to vote in the elections.
We’ll be regularly sharing the official manifestos with students by email, on our various websites and through our social media channels.
Official Campaign Tools
We’ll be using as many ways as possible to share information about the elections and what you’re doing with students. We’d encourage you to use social media platforms to share your news and why people should vote for you. Posters and flyers have been proven to be less effective than online campaigning, so although face to face is the number one way to get a vote, social media is up there in effective methods.
• YouTube
The Voting Method
In our Union elections, we use a method known as the Alternative Transferrable Vote (ATV).
This means that each voter gets the opportunity to rank candidates in the order of preference they will select numbers rather than just put a mark next to a single name. Voters will select their 1st choice as a ‘1’, 2nd as a ‘2’ and so on.
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A winning candidate for each of the positions must receive more than half of the number of votes cast. If after the first stage of voting no overall majority exists, the lowest scoring candidate is eliminated and their votes are redistributed based on the preferences given for other candidates.
We believe this method is most suited to students’ unions as it means candidates must have wide support to win.
NB. With NUS Delegates it works on a quota voting system whereby the each successful
candidate must receive a minimum percentage of the vote to be awarded one of multiple
positions.
For more information please watch this video: http://bit.ly/1mL1ptR
Results
The winners of the elections will be announced at our results lunch on Thursday 7thNovember.
The event will be ran concurrently in Sunderland and in London
We will provide more information about this event as the elections period progresses.
Training for Candidates
Here at the Union we have made it our goal that every candidate knows exactly what they’re
doing during this elections period. We want to make sure that everyone has a good chance to win
and enjoys the experience of taking part. To make sure of this we’ve organised for training for
both candidates and their teams.
Nominee Briefing (Compulsory)
Deputy Returning officers will brief nominees on the rules, latest news and expectations that
everyone can have over the elections process. All nominees must attend this session on 27th
October at 5pm in order to be confirmed as candidates.
At this session individuals will:
Learn about the election’s rules and regulations
Learn about ATV and how students can vote
Have the opportunity to ask any questions
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London Students:
London Campus students will be contacted with an attached guide and/or video they should
read/watch and will be asked to confirm that they have read and understood the briefing.
Nominees MUST attend the briefing or in the case of London Campus, confirm via
Email in order to be included as candidates in the election.
5. Key Dates Calendar
17th October 2016 Elections Nominations Open 9am
24th October 2016 Campaign & Manifesto Support 3-4:30pm (City Campus Gateway Room 8)
(Optional)
26th October 2016 Nominations Close 5pm
27th October 2016 Elections Briefing 5pm (City Campus Gateway Room 7)
COMPULSORY
28th October 2016 Elections Voting Opens 9am
1st November 2016 Elections Voting Closes 5pm
7th November 2016 Elections Results Announced in Sunderland & London 12pm
10th November 2016 Union Council 1pm – 3pm
(Non-Sabbatical Officers are required to attend
Union Council, NUS Delegates not req.)
NB. The Chair of Union Council will be required to meet with the SU prior to the 10th of
November for Council Chair training – to be organised with Jason Bridgewater
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6. Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any rules?
Yes. See the rules section of this pack. It is important you read and understand these. If not
please ask for them to be explained further or you risk disqualification from the election.
Can I vote as a candidate?
Yes, and you can vote for yourself!
What sort of vote is it?
We use a system called Alternative Transferable Vote. This means that when you vote you will
have to rank all candidates according to your preference for each position. A candidate needs
greater than 50% of the total valid votes to win the election.* If no-one receives this then the
person with the least votes is ‘knocked out’, and the votes for them will transfer according to their
second preference to be recounted and so on until someone has received enough votes to win.
This form of voting makes it important this if a voter tells you that they’re already voting for
someone else for their number 1 preference, you should still try and convince them of why you’re
the best candidate for their second preference vote – as these matter when votes are
redistributed under ATV!
* NUS Delegates do not require 50%, they would require 25% in the first round.
Who counts the votes?
The vote count is electronically totalled using an NUS voting system, and this will be checked by
multiple Deputy Returning officers and its legitimacy clarified and agreed upon prior the
confirmation of the successful candidates.
Can my friends help?
Yes! Your friends may join your campaign team. However remember that YOU are responsible for
their actions – ensure they have also read the rules.
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What is re-open nominations for?
You may have heard people talk about R.O.N. This stands for Re-Open Nominations and is not (as
some people believe) someone who has stood in our elections for many years and has never left
Sunderland! Re-Open Nominations will appear on all ballot papers and is a voters’ chance to vote
to re-open the election if they don’t like the candidates available.
Can a student run a campaign to support a vote of re-open nominations?
A student may run a campaign to Re-Open a position. This cannot be a campaign against a single
candidate in a contested election. They will have to run it to the same rules as stated in this pack.
For more information, please contact the Candidate Support Officer listed in the contact details
section.
What do I do if I’m not happy or want to complain?
Please see the Complaints Procedure.
When does it all happen?
Please see the Key Dates list.
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7. Contact details
Candidate Support (For campaign queries, support, training, logistics)
Jason Bridgewater (Sunderland Students’ Union Students Making Change Officer)
Deputy Returning Officers (For complaints & legal queries)
Marie Nixon (Sunderland Students’ Union, CEO)
Louise Bell (Sunderland Students’ Union, Central Services Manager)
Electoral Systems (For voting issues or website issues)
Katie D’Arcy (Sunderland Students’ Union, Communications Manager)
Returning Officer
Peter Robertson, the Deputy Chief Executive (Membership and Union Development) of the
National Union of Students
(Contacted via the Deputy Returning Officer)
Sunderland Students Union is located in the Edinburgh Building of City Campus, Ground Floor.
Please call our reception on 0191 515 3030 if you require any assistance or wish to speak to any of
the above individuals, or alternatively come in and see us (although we can’t guarantee being able
to speak with you there and then!)
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8. Complaints Procedure
How to submit a complaint
The Deputy Returning Officers will only investigate formal complaints submitted in the proper
way, described in this Elections Guidance. Complaints must be submitted to
[email protected] and should summarise:
Who or what you are complaining about.
How you think the complaint has affected the security of the ballot; why does what you’re
complaining about mean the election is not fair?
The evidence you have to support your complaint.
What you want to be done about the complaint; what would you like to happen as a result?
How we will deal with your complaint
The Deputy Returning Officers will consider your complaint and reply as soon as possible, but
always within 24 hours. You can expect the DROs to:
Confirm receipt of the complaint.
Contact the person or people who are being complained about with a summary of the
complaint, to ask for a response. The DROs will allow no less than four hours for a response,
and will always offer a face-face meeting in this period to clarify any part of the investigation.
Consider the complaint, and the evidence provided by both parties, in making a ruling on the
complaint. The DROs will always consult a colleague before issuing a ruling to ensure
consistency in the application of the Rules and Guidance.
Contact the person or people against whom the complaint is made with a summary of the
evidence collected, their opinion on the evidence, and what corrective measure, if any, they
have chosen to apply.
The DRO may at any point ask for clarification or further evidence.
The DRO will keep a case file, which will be reviewed by the Returning Officer in the event of an
appeal, and destroyed 6 months after the results of the election are declared.
Any complaint which results in the DRO withdrawing a candidate or candidates will be
automatically passed to the Returning Officer for review. No withdrawal will be affected until the
Returning Officer has confirmed the ruling of the DROs.
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How we will handle appeals of complaints
If you have been complained about, and the DROs have applied a corrective measure, you may
have grounds to appeal your case to the Returning Officer. To submit an appeal, you must email
[email protected] and state the grounds for appeal. Appeals must be submitted
within four hours of receipt of the ruling from the DROs, and must satisfy the Returning Officer
that there is at least one of two grounds for appeal, which are:
Evidence material to the case that was not considered by the DRO.
Evidence that the DRO made their decision in a flawed way.
The Returning Officer will not take up an appeal unless he is satisfied that grounds for appeal exist.
He is likely to do this from a distance, and is unlikely to enter into face-to-face discussion. The
Returning Officer may, however, at any point ask for clarification or further evidence.
The Returning Officer’s decision is final
How we will determine an appropriate measure
The DROs will make a ruling following the conclusion of their investigation, and may decide that
the appropriate measure is one of:
No case to answer; no corrective measure necessary.
An informal caution; this will be in a mandatory face-to-face conversation with the DRO, where
a candidate, candidates or campaigners will be advised of the complaint outcome, why their
actions require an informal caution, and how they can avoid further complaints in the future.
A formal caution; this will be in a mandatory face-to-face conversation with the DRO, where a
candidate, candidates or campaigners will be advised of the complaint outcome, why their
actions require an formal caution, and how they can avoid further complaints in the future. A
formal note will be taken which may be considered as relevant evidence in further complaints.
Withdrawal; this will be in a formal report issued by the DROs to the candidate, candidates or
campaigners , and copied to the Returning Officer. The report will make clear the procedure
for appeals, and allow at least four hours to pass for the submission of an appeal to the
Returning Officer.
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The DROs will decide which sanction to apply based on the extent to which the complaint
evidences:
The action is in reference to the security of the ballot.
The action compromises the security of the ballot.
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3 Informal caution Formal caution Withdrawal
2 Informal caution Formal caution Formal caution
1 Informal caution Informal caution Informal caution
1 2 3
To what extent does the complaint evidence that the security of the
ballot has been compromised?
How we’ll handle complaints that aren’t about the security of the ballot
Sunderland SU supports the right of all students, at all times, to feel safe during the elections
process, Sunderland SU also supports the right of any student, at any time, to complain under
University procedures if they do not feel safe. If the DRO considers that no grounds exist for them
to investigate a complaint under the Elections Rules or Guidance, because actions have not
affected the security of the ballot, then they will refer a student to the University. This will not
usually lead the DRO to make any changes to the election process.
It is important to state that making a complaint to the University under its procedures will not
usually influence the elections process. Sunderland SU will not be able to advise any student who
wishes to make a complaint under University procedures, as our staff will have a conflict of
interest.