How To Run An Online Election

Online elections run through the SU website. Only the ASK Team has access to view and edit the election platform so our team will need to set it all up for you, and we will send you the results once voting closes too. As only student members can run and vote in your election, the system takes this into account and makes sure only those who can run and vote are able to by ensuring that only members that have purchased a student membership to your group on the SU website can view the election.

Our elections use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) which is more representative than First Past the Post used in most AGM’s. You can read about the difference between the two voting systems here.

To set up an election, you will need to fill in our Election Request Form please and provide:

1. A list of the positions that you would like to include in the election (and a role description too if you have one so potential candidates know what it involves).
2. Self-nomination period times – during this time members will be able to log into the website to submit nominations for any positions they want to run for and submit a manifesto if they would like. (Candidates don’t have to submit a manifesto to run, but we would strongly encourage that they do so. Candidates can also upload a photo to go alongside their manifesto.)
3. Voting period times – during this time members can log into the website and cast their votes. 

Restrictions To Be Aware Of:

• You can decide how long you keep nominations and voting open for, but they must be open for at least 3 days each to allow members plenty of time to consider whether they want to run, and time to log in and vote too. 
• Elections should also be ran during term-time as students may not engage with the process during holiday times. 
• The self-nomination and voting period open and close times must fall between our usual working hours (Monday – Friday 8am to 5pm). 

Once the election is set up, we will send you instructions on how to self-nominate and vote, along with the timings so you can share this with all of your members via your socials. We will also send out an email to all of your members via the SU website to inform them of the election too. This way, all members of your group will be made aware of the election and can have the chance to nominate and vote if they would like to. You can share election details on any social media that your group has, WhatsApp groups etc too of course, but sending an email via the SU website will make sure that a message goes to all members that are signed up to your group! If you’re not sure how to access or use the dashboard to send an email out then please take a look at our Dashboard Guide. 

Once voting closes, we’ll send you the results so these can be announced to your members and the candidates. We will also update the exec on our records and give the new exec admin access to the group; please have a look at the “How To Gain Access To The SU Dashboard For Your Group” article to find out more information about this. 

Your group will also need to make sure the new exec are given access to any shared mailboxes you might have, please have a look at "How To Change Who Has Access to A Shared Mailbox" for the steps required.

For any issues relating to accessing the links above, please get in touch here.