Rules and Guidance

Your Students’ Association (“we” and/or “us”) understands the importance of ensuring that Student Leaders are elected by the members they seek to represent. We are committed to ensuring that the election process is fair, transparent and properly conducted.

Purpose of this regulation

The purpose of this regulation is to outline and demonstrate how your Students’ Association facilitate and conducts elections and shall cover the following:

• Candidate and Voter Eligibility
• Quorum
• Voting Method
• Notice, Nominations and Voting Periods
• Campaigning and Candidate Conduct
• Any other processes that cover the conduct of an election

This regulation shall be reviewed annually. Any changes to this regulation will be approved by the Returning Officer at least two weeks prior to nominations opening.

We ensure that our approach to elections is fair and proper. To do this we appoint a Returning Officer who is responsible for this regulation is fair and that the election is operated in accordance with the regulation and any other policies or procedures.

Returning Officer

The Returning Officer shall:

• Lead on the interpretation of this regulation.
• Be appointed by the Students’ Association Advisory Board.
• Make final decisions on all election complaints and appeals.
• Ensure elections adhere to these regulations and any other relevant documents.
• Ensure the elections are conducted in a free, fair, and democratic manner.
• Finalise the result of the election once all complaints and appeals are concluded.
• Confirm with the University that they are satisfied that the election was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Education Act (1994).

Deputy Returning Officer(s)

Deputy Returning Officer(s) are also appointed with delegated responsibilities. They shall:

• Be a member of Students’ Association staff.
• Ensure elections adhere to these regulations and any other relevant documents.
• Make decisions on complaints and appeals.
• Confirm the provisional result of the election.

In addition to this regulation, and any relevant policies and procedures, all University policies and national legislation shall apply.

We went to run your elections in a consistent, effective and proper manner. To ensure this:

• Elections shall be organised and administered by Students’ Association staff.
• Students’ Association staff will conduct the election in accordance with the administrative arrangements outlined in these regulations.
• Student members, including your Student Leadership team, can only be involved where they are not intending to participate as a candidate, or have any other conflicts of interest.

Any involvement of university staff or student members shall be at the discretion of the Deputy Returning Officer(s).

Notice

We want to ensure that students are aware of any upcoming election to ensure they can make an informed choice on their involvement. To ensure this we will:

• Give notice no later than 21 days prior to the end of the nominations period for that election.
• Provide information on the election process and where to find out more information.
• Detail the role(s) and their eligibility criteria.
• Confirm the terms and conductions of the election including any changes to the election regulation.

We will give notice to all student members through appropriate communication channels which will include the website, social media, and other forms of electronic and physical promotion.

Nominations

We want to ensure that students have sufficient time to consider and complete their nomination. To ensure tis we will:

• Nominations period shall be no shorter than 14 days.
• Nominations shall be accepted until the end of the nominations period.
• Students can withdraw themselves from the election at any time during nominations. Once nominations close candidates seeking to withdraw will need to contact the Students’ Association team.

Once nominations close no further nominations shall be accepted and the candidate list will be final. For the avoidance of doubt, once a candidate withdraws after nominations close, they will not be permitted to re-enter the election.

Publicity

We want to ensure that students can make an informed choice about who they want to be their next Student Leaders. To ensure this:

• Candidates shall have the opportunity to submit a statement (manifesto) as part of their nomination.
• Candidates must submit their statement before the end of the nominations period, unless otherwise stated in the election notice.
• We cannot guarantee that statements will be accepted after the deadline. However, no statements will be accepted once the voting period starts and/or candidates’ statements are released, whichever is sooner.
• All accepted statements shall be available to members eligible to participate in the election at the start of voting. Where possible these statements will be made available in advance of voting opening.
• Candidates shall be provided with a campaign budget by the Students’ Association to support them with campaigning and publicity. Candidates will be notified of their campaign budget allowance at the close of nominations.

We may also provide additional opportunities for candidates to promote themselves through our communications channels and activities. Where this is the case criteria for involvement will clearly be notified to candidates. Candidates are not guaranteed to be included in communication activities if they do not meet the criteria for that opportunity.

Voting

We want to ensure that every vote matters and that members should have sufficient opportunity to cast their vote. To ensure this:

• Voting period shall be no shorter than 24 hours.
• Each eligible student shall only hold one vote for each role in the election that they are eligible to participate in.
• Voting shall be conducted using Single Transferable Vote (STV) for multi-position elections or Alternative Transferable Vote (ATV) for single-position elections.
• Voting shall be conducted online (electronic voting). Where electronic voting is not possible, or the system becomes inoperable, a paper ballot should be conducted in accordance with the Paper Ballot Procedure.
• Postal voting options shall be made available at the discretion of the Returning Officer and/or the Deputy Returning Officer(s).
• Re-Open Nominations (RON) shall be an option in every role. RON shall be advertised as a voting option.

We may also facilitate additional voting opportunities, such as voting booths, where appropriate and available.

Results

We want you to know that take elections and the count of your votes seriously. To ensure this:

• Results shall be provisional until declared final by the Returning Officer, or the Deputy Returning Officer(s), once all election complaints and appeals have been concluded.
• The Returning Officer will rule on the eligibility of votes. A vote of abstention, where a voter chooses no candidate, will count towards quorum (where applicable) but will be treated as an invalid vote for the purpose of the election count.
• Quorum represents the total number of votes cast for the result to be valid. Quorum shall not be set for Students’ Association elections unless explicitly stated in the election notice.

Where the vote may result in a tie or role vacancy we will follow our election troubleshooting processes. We outline these processes for all members so that we are transparent in how we look to resolve the situations listed.

We aim to ensure through our administrative arrangements that elections run smoothly. However, we recognise that this may not always be the case and therefore have plans in place for likely situations. For transparency we have outlined these plans below.

Please note that where a situation occurs that is not covered by our troubleshooting plans, the Returning Officer, and Deputy Returning Officer(s), are consulted to determine next steps to resolve this situation.

Election Tie

We adopt the STV/ATV voting method to ensure that every vote counts. These methods reduce the likelihood of an election tie, but a tie is still possible at any stage of the counting process.

To resolve election ties, we will follow our Election Tie Procedure that:

• Defines an Election Tie.
• Considers the voting platform and method we use.
• Provides instructions on how to break an Election Tie involving 2 candidates.
• Provides instructions on how to break an Election Tie involving more than 2 candidates.

This procedure will be reviewed alongside the election regulations annually and confirmed prior to nominations opening.

Role Vacancies

We aim for all posts available in the election to be filled as we believe a full Student Leadership team will only benefit students. However, we recognise that there is a likelihood that one or more posts may become vacant through the year.

To resolve role vacancies, we will:

• Unfilled role(s): where a role remains vacant at the end of the election, or the role has been filled by RON, the role will be filled through a by-election or co-option.
• Becomes vacant before taking office: where a successful candidate does not take office the role can be offered to the second-place candidate, at the discretion of the Returning Officer. If there is no second-place candidate, the second-place candidate is RON or the second-place candidate does not accept the role, the role shall be filled through a by-election.
• Becomes vacant after taking office: where an officer role becomes vacant during the officer’s term of office, the responsibilities of the role shall be covered by the remaining officers until a time that a by-election can take place.

This approach will be reviewed alongside the election regulations annually and confirmed prior to nominations opening.

By-Elections and Co-options

We want all student leadership roles to be filled so that there are students representing and acting on behalf of all our members. Sometimes, we cannot fill all roles in our main election so we either run:

• By-elections: that will follow the same process as any association election and will focus on only filling any vacant roles. Where there is a vacant full-time officer role this will only be filled using a by-election.
• Co-option: is where we fill vacant roles through a similar election process with the following differences:

Eligibility to nominate and take office will be the same as any main election. However, voters will be limited to the members of a committee the role is a member of. For example, if a part-time officer role is vacant the committee will be the wider student leadership team.

Voting period will be set to a given meeting of the committee.

Co-options cannot be used for full-time officer roles.

These options allow us to ensure there is a fair process in place to fill vacant roles and that students are still determining who they want their student leaders to be.

We want to ensure that we facilitate a process where students can actively decide who their student leaders will be and that who they choose is able to take up office. We want this to be transparent, so we have outlined the criteria that we use to determine whether you are eligible to participate and take office.

Eligibility to participate

We want to encourage and support eligible students to participate, whether that is nominating themselves or just voting as it is important that they have the opportunity to decide who their student leaders will be. Therefore, it is only our student members that can participate in elections. We define student members as:

• Any Arden University student that is fully enrolled and has not opted out of being a member of the Students’ Association.
• Individuals currently in a Student Leadership role at the Students’ Association.

This definition of student members is further defined within the Students’ Association constitution which can be found here: [insert link].

Additional eligibility to participate criteria may also be applied to roles where:

• They represent a defined demographic of students. For example, only distance learning students would be able to nominate and vote for a distance learning office.
• They represent a self-defined demographic of students. For example, if we had a LGBTQIA+ Officer role, only those students who self-define as LGBTQIA+ will be able to nominate and vote for the role.

We will inform students of any additional criteria when we give notice of the election and in the role description.

Where our elections platform identifies that a student is not eligible to participate the platform will provide them with a reason as well as information on how to contact the Students’ Association if they believe they do meet the criteria. The Students’ Association can then work to update their eligibility on the platform where necessary.

Eligibillity to take office

Students who nominate themselves for a role will be required to confirm that they meet the eligibility to take office before being approved as a candidate. These criteria will include:

• Right to work in the United Kingdom.
• Not in the process of being withdrawn from their studies.
• Provisional approval for a Break in Learning, where applicable for the role.
• Can start a 1-year contract of employment, where applicable for the role.

To ensure transparency these criteria are not in place as a barrier for people to nominate but are there to ensure that who students elect are able to take the office, they are being elected to.

It should also be noted that those individuals elected to full-time officer roles will be employed by Arden University on a full-time fixed term contract for the term of their office. This means that they will need to be able to work 37 hours a week which means that they cannot be a full-time student and will either need to have a break in learning or move to part time study.

We want our elections to be an opportunity for personal growth and development of those involved as well as the way that our members decide who they want to champion their interests. Therefore, we will actively work with those involved to promote a positive culture and conduct outlined below.

Establishing a positive campaigning culture

We want to create a positive campaigning culture so that candidates and voters get the best experience and result from the election process. To ensure this we ask candidates to adopt the following principles whilst they are involved in elections:

• Dignity and Respect: Candidates should treat other candidates, students, staff, and members of the public with dignity and respect.
• Do not take advantage: Candidates should not do anything to gain an unfair advantage.
• Focus on you: Candidates should focus on their own campaign plan and follow it through. For their wellbeing, they should avoid concerning themselves with other campaigns.
• Supportive culture: A friendly and open culture is important, and a nice word can go a long way to support someone’s mental health. Elections are a competition, but this does not mean you cannot support each other’s wellbeing. Candidates can still endorse each other, check in on how other candidates are doing, and let us know when you may have concerns over the wellbeing of other candidates.

These guiding principles will also be taken into consideration where the students’ association needs to make decisions on the administration of the election that falls outside the details of this regulation.

Candidate Conduct

We want to ensure that candidates are clear about their role in promoting a positive culture and ensuring our elections are run in a fair and proper manner. The points below outline specific activities that candidates should adhere to when conducting their election campaigning.

• Campaign Budget: Candidates shall not spend over the amount provided by the Students’ Association and shall be required to submit campaign expenses up to 24 hours after voting closes.
• Campaign Teams: Candidates shall not campaign as a group of candidates. This includes merging or sharing campaign budget, campaign materials and campaign team members.
• Endorsements: Candidates shall not seek/gain endorsement from any non-student members. This shall include members of university and/or Students’ Association staff or external organisations. For the avoidance of doubt any student member can endorse a candidate. This can include current Student Leaders and candidates.
• Campaign Supporters: Candidates must take reasonable steps to ensure that the actions of their campaign supporters comply with the election regulations, procedures and guidance.
• Other policies: Candidates must adhere to all Students’ Association and University Policies. This shall include following any instructions and guidance regarding candidate activities.
• Negative Campaigning: Candidates shall treat staff and students with dignity and respect. This means that they must not undertake activity that is deemed as negative campaigning that focuses on another candidate’s character. Candidates can engage in debate on the topics raised by other candidates.
• Independent voting: Candidates must allow the electorate (voters) to cast their vote secretly, freely, and fairly. Candidates must not attempt to influence/coerce voters whilst they are in the process of voting.
• Campaign Materials: Candidates must only alter, move, or remove their own campaign materials whilst campaigning and voting is open.
• Reasonably Campaigning: Candidates shall not undertake campaigning activity which others could not reasonably do.

We will also provide additional guidance to candidates through our website to ensure they have the information available to them to support their campaign.

We want our elections to run smoothly but we recognise that there may be times where our student members may not be satisfied with the conduct of the election or individual candidates. Therefore, we have an elections complaints procedure in place to resolve complaints.

Complaints

Any student member can submit an election complaint through the students’ association website where they believe:

• Candidates have not campaigned in line with our candidate conduct and principles of a positive campaigning culture.
• Students’ Association has not administered the election in accordance with our election regulations.
• You believe that the election has not been conducted in a fair and proper manner.

Any complaint concerning the conduct of student members may also be referred to the Universities Student Disciplinary Procedure.

All complaints shall be accepted until 2 hours after the close of voting unless it relates to the organisation and conduct of the election itself.