Elections at UEA(SU) are a vital process where students have the opportunity to nominate themselves for specific roles and seek support from their peers through votes. This democratic process allows students to actively participate in selecting the leaders of their Students' Union, ensuring that the SU is led by individuals who genuinely represent their interests. It is crucial for our work to be driven by the student body, enabling us to work in alignment with their needs and priorities. During our primary elections period in February/March, students will have the chance to elect individuals into full-time positions, each representing distinct student groups and advocating for various issues. The election serves as an open invitation for any eligible student to run for a role and provides an opportunity for fellow students to choose the representatives who will shape the direction and priorities of the SU for the upcoming academic year.

You can nominate yourself for a role here.

We have a candidate pack that provides all the key information your need. You can also find campaign resources in our candidate hub.

Campaigning for the 2024 election season starts Monday 4th March and closes when the voting period ends.

A manifesto is a brief statement presenting a candidate's platform and vision, aiming to persuade voters by outlining their experience, goals, and proposed initiatives for the improvement of the student experience at UEA. Your manifesto is not just a document; it's a manifesto for change, a roadmap that outlines your vision and commitment.

We’ll be running a number of training sessions during the nomination period. If you need specific support during the elections, please email us.

You can vote between the 11th and 14th March here.

You can find more information on how Single Transferable Votes work here.

All candidates participating in the election are required to submit their campaign material for vetting in terms of factual accuracy by the election team before publication. Manifestos posted on the website will undergo automatic checks by the election team, simplifying the process. However, candidates must ensure that the text for any other promotional materials is submitted either by physically delivering copies to the SU office starting from Friday, 1st March, or by emailing su.voice@uea.ac.uk with the subject line 'Candidate campaign text [your name].

1. Throughout the election campaign, candidates are urged to comply with existing conduct policies or regulations that go beyond the specific election guidelines.
2. It is important to note that the Union does not condone any violation of Union Bye-Laws, University Regulations, or any Laws for the sake of election campaigning.
3. Any accusations of Code of Conduct breaches will be duly addressed by the Union, and similarly, the University will handle alleged breaches of University General Regulations. The appropriate actions will be taken in response to ensure fair and transparent conduct during the election process, including but not limited to, explosion from the election.

Campaign principles:

Candidates and are expected to uphold the following principles throughout the election process:

1. Fair and Open: All candidates should ensure fairness, openness, and accessibility in their campaign activities.
2. Democratic: Adherence to democratic principles is crucial, promoting a respectful and inclusive election environment.
3. Accessible: Campaigns should be accessible to all, fostering an environment where everyone can engage in the electoral process.
4. Transparent: Transparency in all campaign activities is essential for maintaining the integrity of the election.

Candidates are encouraged to treat each other with respect, discouraging negative campaigning. While challenge and criticism of candidates and manifestos are normal, personal attacks based on personal characteristics, discrimination, harassment, offensiveness, or defamation are strictly prohibited.

Candidates must:

1. Ensure their campaign team adheres to election rules, taking reasonable steps to demonstrate compliance in the event of a complaint and hold responsibility for the conduct of their supporters, both online and offline.
2. Only promote, share, alter, move, or remove their own campaign materials.
3. Refrain from using club/society/academic reps mailing lists for campaign purposes without consent.
4. Not bully or intimidate voters, allowing them to cast their ballot freely.

1. Early Campaigning: Early campaigning is not allowed. However, certain activities, like informing close friends about candidacy or recruiting team members discreetly, are not considered early campaigning.
2. Content Creation: Candidates are permitted to create election-related content in public places before the official election period, provided it does not involve active campaigning. For instance, a candidate may conduct research on the student experience during this time, as long as no direct campaigning activities occur. This ensures that candidates have the freedom to engage in preparatory work without violating election rules before the designated campaign period begins.
3. Communication: Campaigners cannot use mailing lists without permission, and posting in social media groups requires Admin approval.
4. Restricted Areas: Campaigning is prohibited in specific locations, including the Library, SU Office, Student Services and the Student Information Zone.
5. Banners: Banners on campus are only permitted during SU Officer Elections.
6. Voter Freedom: Campaigners must ensure voters can cast their ballots freely, and electronic devices are treated as ballot papers.
7. Endorsements: Individual students can endorse candidates in a personal capacity. Club and Societies are not allowed to endorse candidates.

Clubs and societies must provide equatable campaign access to all candidates running in the same election. Candidates cannot accept endorsements from non-members of uea(su) and should not seek endorsements from external individuals including members of UEA Staff.

1. Campaign Slates: Campaign slates will be permitted in this election. A campaign slate refers to a group or list of candidates who run together as a unified team, often sharing similar goals, values, and a common platform. Instead of individual candidates campaigning separately, a slate presents a collective approach to student government, where each member contributes specific skills, perspectives, or expertise to address various aspects of campus life.
2. Transparency: Campaigns must be transparent and accountable to The SU to ensure a fair and open election process.
3. Current Officers: No current elected officer may endorse a specific candidate in any union election verbally or in writing. Elected officers can encourage student participation in elections but must not offer individual advice to candidates beyond general guidance. However, current officers who are re-running in the election are permitted to have the same campaign freedom as all other candidates.

1. Equal Standards Online: Online campaigning for SU elections is considered an official part of the process and follows the same rules as physical events. Unacceptable behavior in physical spaces is equally unacceptable online.
2. Safe Interaction: All users engaging with the Students’ Union, including representatives and student leaders, should feel safe.
3. Live Streaming: Live streaming is considered publishing, and all campaigning rules apply during live streams.
4. Social Media Platforms: Online campaigning should be open and transparent. The Union discourages campaigning on closed platforms such as Discord.
5. Digital Footprint Consideration: Candidates using personal social media accounts should be mindful of their digital footprint, considering the perceptions of friends, family, and future employers.
6. Privacy Concerns: Consider creating a dedicated campaign account, visible to election officials, to maintain compliance with rules. Do not share personal social media account access with supporters.
7. Audience Awareness: Campaigners should be aware that some groups may include alumni and non-students. Respect the purpose of online spaces and avoid unwanted campaigning.

1. Definition of Campaign Expenditure: Campaign expenditure is expenses incurred to promote a candidate and may be further defined by the returning officer.
2. Maximum Spending Limits: Candidates have a maximum spending limit (£40 for Full-Time Officer elections and £20 for Part-Time Officer and Convenor elections) that can be reimbursed by the Union upon submission of receipts. Failure to provide receipts by the deadline may result in disqualification.
3. Equitable Expenditure: Expenditure must be both replicable by all candidates and an opportunity that all candidates could reasonably carry out.
4. Excluded Labor Costs: Labor costs are not counted; only costs related to hiring, materials production, and distribution of consumables are considered.
5. Paid Advertising: Paid advertising, such as boosting Facebook posts, is acceptable but must be recorded and reported like any other campaign expenditure.
6. Reasonable Test: The Returning Officer will use a "reasonable" test to determine whether the use of a resource needs to be charged to campaign expenditure. For instance, owning a mobile phone for social media activity is reasonable, but assuming all students have a full-scale media studio at home is not.
7. Replicable Principle: Actions must be replicable by any candidate in the election. For example, telling jokes to students in a common area is replicable, but winning a unique item in an eBay auction may not be replicable by all candidates.
8. Examples:
9. Free Pizza Vouchers: If given free pizza vouchers as incentives, the cost equivalent must be declared as part of the expenditure.
10. Discounted Advertising Space: If a discount is obtained on advertising space, the declared cost should be the full, undiscounted amount to ensure replicability.
11. Using Personal Items: Writing on existing posters with a personal pen is not counted as expenditure, assuming all students can access a pen.
12. Non-Replicable Items: Borrowing a unique item, like a blimp, and using it for the campaign is not allowed, as it is not reasonable to assume all students can access such items.

1. Ballot Paper:
2. In any election involving nominations, the ballot paper incorporates the option "Re-open Nominations" (RON). RON is treated comparably to any other candidate, possessing an equivalent campaign budget, undergoing similar vote-counting procedures, and being subject to identical disciplinary actions. If RON secures the requisite votes at any point, it is considered elected, and surplus votes are redirected to another RON candidate. This cyclic process continues as needed, with unfilled vacancies matching the number of RON candidates deemed elected declared by the returning officer.
3. Voting:
4. The electoral system employs the Single Transferable Vote, and candidates, along with their representatives, are explicitly prohibited from attempting to coerce or intimidate members into voting for a specific candidate or preference.
5. Complaints and Results:
6. Written complaints about election conduct or violations must be lodged with the Deputy Returning Officer before the count, unless related to the count itself. Dissatisfied complainants or those with grievances against the Deputy Returning Officer can formally submit written complaints to the Returning Officer, whose ruling is considered final. Election results are formally presented to the Union Council by the Deputy Returning Officer.
7. The Count:
8. The count is overseen by the Returning Officer or their nominee and adheres to the regulations set by the Electoral Reform Society for Single Transferable Vote elections. Complaints about the count must be submitted in writing to the Returning Officer within one working day after the result announcement. The election results are only deemed effective after the Returning Officer certifies the accuracy of the outcome as a fair and democratic procedure. The count commences once all complaints and appeals related to campaigners are resolved and initiated after the Deputy Returning Officer ensures the resolution of all complaints regarding election conduct and administration.