‘How to run’ Election Training

What are Sabbatical Officers and Part-time Officers? Sabbatical Officers are full-time officers elected by students. They receive a full time salary and work 9-5 in the Union Offices. Sabbatical Officers are elected to represent students and therefore are able to prioritise the work the Union does in order to better support, and advocate for students. Part- time Officers are elected on a voluntary basis by the student body and are not expected to complete a certain amount of hours but are able to take the lead on various projects and events. Part- time Officers work with Sabbatical Officers to achieve the overall goals/priorities of the Union.

What is the Schedule? ‘Schedule 2- Elections and Referendum’ can be found on the website here https://www.stirlingstudentsunion.com/aboutus/governancea ndplanning/ Schedule 2 is a governing document. It outlines the rules and regulations surrounding the elections. All candidates should familiarise themselves with the rules in Schedule 2.

What do you need to run? Seconders: If you are running for a Sabbatical Officer Position then you need 50 seconders and if you are running for a Part-time Officer position then you will need 15 seconders. Code of Conduct form: You just need to complete it by typing your name and sending it back to me. Manifesto: You upload this online. Your manifesto should be 300-500 words! A slogan: Something catchy that sums up your campaign. A picture of yourself: Make sure we can see you! Publicity: Send your publicity to Clair and let her know what type of paper you would like! Yellow, Orange, Red, Pink, Lilac, Deep Blue, Light Blue, Dark Green or Light Green

Your Manifesto

What is a manifesto? It is a short piece of text (about 500 words) that tells voters who you are and why they should vote for you It sets out your pledges so that students know what to expect if you’re elected. What do you want to change, improve, reduce etc. Helps to set your objectives for your year in office. Therefore, if you get elected, you come into the job with a list of things to get started on. The Union staff support your priorities.

Evidence your ideas and get feedback Make sure to speak to students to find out what is important to them – talk to as many people as possible about your ideas. Start with your social circle of friends to find out the changes they would like to see at Stirling. The best manifestos show that the candidate is aware and informed of the key issues facing students.

Your Manifesto: 10 tips Introduce yourself List your beliefs- what do you want to change? Ensure your ideas are achievable Choose three / four top priorities Describe how you will solve the issues you raise Be concise- think SMART Use snappy titles Use clear language and text Grammar / spell check Tell students about you, not your opponents! We want everyone to run a positive campaign throughout.

Activity You will now be given some example manifestos of candidates that have run in sabbatical officer elections. In groups discuss the manifestos in terms of their: Content Design Layout Anything else that you consider to be important

Your Publicity

Activity Here are some examples of Promotional materials from your current Sabbatical Officers. Have a chat with your neighbour, what do you think about the Designs?

Publicity guidance The Union supplies your printed publicity – you cannot have any printed publicity out with what we provide for you. Bear in mind that publicity is black and white, printed on paper (colour of your choice). Sabbatical Officer candidates have a £10 non-printed publicity budget. Use a slogan - something that boils your manifesto down into a memorable one-liner. You must include details of when voting opens and closes, where a student can vote and the Union logo. We will provide you with all this information.

Publicity guidance You must include the following: Your name & the position you are running for The Student Union logo available here: https://www.stirlingstudentsunion.com/clubssocieties/printing/ The date and time of the election Details on how to vote (via the Union website)

Campaigning

Why Do Students Vote? I saw one of their posters They align with my views So people will stop nagging me in the Atrium I read a post of theirs on social media They came and spoke to me I read their manifesto They spoke in my lecture They seem nice A friend of mine asked me to vote for them A saw one of their banners

Securing votes – its all about GOATing (Go out and Talking)

Why Do Students Vote? The art of converting many short meaningful conversations in to a votes is what wins elections! Don’t be put off by a few bad reactions and try to focus on some of the better more positive responses you get from students. A key skill for a campaigner is to be able to make their campaign relevant to voters, being able to pick the right campaign point to speak about that is most applicable to the situation and also engaging those students who don’t see the elections as something that is relevant to them. You can ask about their experiences and get them fired up to tell you about their injustice (whether that be the buses or not enough cheap food on campus) and offer them your vision from your campaign and how you will change the situation if you are elected. Be prepared to be persuasive and confident to gain votes……

Campaign Team Think about… Think about how you’re going to communicate with your team; make a WhatsApp/Facebook group? How regularly are you going to meet up? Think about… Mix between Quality and Quantity Low Commitment - Change their profile photo High Commitment - Will stand with you everyday to give out flyers etc What would be best to be done by you and what can be done by your team? What roles do you think you should have on your team?

Campaign Manager MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A CAMPAIGNS MANAGER IF YOU ARE RUNNING FOR A SABBATICAL OFFICER POSITION. This person is to be your support and help when campaigning. Everything does not have to be done by you. You and the campaign manager could set up a rota of where everyone will be during the voting days for maximum impact. And remember, you are responsible for everything that your campaign team does, so don’t ask them to do anything you wouldn’t do!

Any Questions?