How To Set Up An Online Referendum

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

To set up a referendum, you will need to get in touch with us and send us:

1. An overview of the change(s) that you are proposing (e.g. if you are changing the group name what do you want to change the name from and to, or if you want to amend the exec, what roles are you adding / removing) 
2. Some background information as to why you are proposing the change (so members can read this and decide whether to approve the changes or not) 
3. Voting period times – during this time members can log into the website and cast their votes. You can decide how long you keep voting open for, but voting must be open for at least 3 days to allow members plenty of time log in and vote. Online voting should also only be opened during term-time as some members may not engage with the process during holiday periods.

Once the referendum is set up, we will send you instructions on how to 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 referendum too. This way, all members of your group will be made aware and can have the chance to vote if they would like to. You can share referendum 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: if the majority of members vote in favour of the changes, then you can update your constitution with the approved changes. Once the document is updated, please get in touch with us and send us a copy too. 

If your approved changes include adding new exec positions, then you can go ahead and arrange an election. Have a look at the “How To Carry Out An Election” article for more details. 

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