Students’ Association Elections 2015 Briefing for Candidates

The role of the Returning Officers and staff Returning Officer – Al Powell, NUS Scotland Deputy Returning Officer – Kevin Ward, GCU Students’ Association Chief Executive – David Carse Other Students’ Association staff University staff

Election Rules Read them – ignorance is no defence Accept them – they have been approved by Student Voice Obey them – we have the power to remove any candidate from our elections

How voting works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLH_w5kHJpA

Complaints Should be made by the candidate or agent in writing to Deputy Returning Officer using the Complaints Form. Evidence should be supplied whenever possible. Will be investigated and acted upon at discretion of Returning Officers Must be made no later than one hour after the close of polling.

The Role of the Campaign Manager Your campaign manager doesn’t need to be a brilliant campaigner themselves but they do need to be a good organiser Their job is to make sure that you and anyone else helping you knows where they are going next and are kept well stocked with flyers, posters and motivational chocolate (not to be given to voters!) They will also be the person that the Deputy Returning Officer will speak to if they can’t get in touch with you

Organising the Campaign Once you have an idea of who will help you: Find out when they are free How much time they can commit What they are willing to do for the campaign With this information you need to: Draw up a campaign plan Let everyone know what they are doing and when (they don’t need to see the whole plan!) Make sure your Campaign Manager has a contact number for all of your volunteers and they have the CM’s number too

Staying on Track In order to make sure your team remains effective until the end of the week it is important to get a few simple things right: Make sure nobody works too hard Look after your team Review what is happening in the campaign Say thank you

Staying on Track A final cautionary note You are responsible for what your campaigners do in your name Make sure that they are either aware of the rules or know what they have to do well enough to avoid breaking any Even if something isn’t against the rules, if somebody campaigning for you does or says something inappropriate it will still reflect badly on you

Campaign Team Any friends you can call upon to help out with 2 – 4 core people. Make sure they are aware of the election rules – you are responsible for your campaign team’s conduct. Give them jobs that suit their skills. Make sure not to ask too much of people and thank them for their time.

Presentation There are some things that should appear on all manifestos: your name the position you are standing for when and how people can vote for you After that it is sensible to include your pledges a photograph (who was that person who spoke at my lecture?) a short biography (course, interests, experience in the University or SA) Then you can include other things that you think might be useful links to social media email address more photographs more details on your pledges (on page 2) Once your manifesto is complete make sure to proof read it thoroughly and get a friend or two to check it over Use appropriate humour if you wish as students will respond well to something which make them smile!

Social Media All candidate Facebook, Twitter or Youtube videos will be linked from the Students’ Association website. Other links such as personal web pages and other social media will also be linked. The rules about campaigning also apply online!

Lecture Shouts A very effective campaign tool Agree order of speeches if other candidates present Get lecturer’s permission if they are there Keep it short and remember to say your name, the position you are running for and the key reasons to vote for you They get easier the more you do them Consider targeting multiple lectures that are nearby

Posters Consider the value of printing rather than hand making posters. Posters placed on doors, stairwells or high places will probably be taken down by the university cleaning staff You should only ever move your own posters

Caledonian Court Approach security desk before campaigning in Caledonian Court Be polite and respectful to all residents while you are there Do not flyer indiscriminately – publicity should be delivered to residents and not left lying in buildings Always do as instructed by security staff

Election Expenses We do not print your publicity. Instead candidates will be able to claim money back from us as outlined in the election rules. All candidates must submit expenses no later than one hour after polls close. Even things which are free must be costed and included.

Some “obvious” tips Do not get into arguments with university staff Keep campaigning until polling closes Make sure your friends have voted for you Don’t chalk walls or paths on campus or use permanent marker on whiteboards Don’t use explicit, derogatory or suggestive language in campaign material If you are in any doubt about the election rules – ask! Sometimes things won’t seem fair – life isn’t – but we will try to make sure that no candidate is unduly disadvantaged at any time

Voting All registered students can vote Voting at via a link sent to their student email address and by going to www.GCUstudents.co.uk/vote Voting is conducted using the method Single Transferable Vote

Details, Details, Details Get your photo taken by for your official ballot photo by Friday 26th February. Alternatively send me a photograph of yourself against a white background. All manifestos sent to me by Thursday 25th February will go online on Friday (I will add later manifestos but can’t guarantee when) Please let me know if you wish your name to appear differently than it currently does on the website Return a completed Trustee Declaration Form to me before voting begins or you will not be able to stand.

Other stuff You have a £80 budget – we will provide £50 of this so long as you get receipts You will be sent round some guidance about getting your manifesto printed, planning lecture shout timetables and the support available during the campaign We will be filming short interviews with candidates next week – times are still to be arranged.

Questions