Friday 28-01-2022 - 14:30

 

A – Advice

If you ever have a question about elections all you need to do is ask. At The Union we have seen a LOT of elections between us, there is no such thing as a silly question and everyone here will be happy to help you out.

Elections Hub

 

B - Ballot

The online ballot is where you see all the nominated candidates and their manifestos. Voting will take place online.

 

C - Campaigning

Candidates campaign to introduce themselves to students throughout the university and let them know about their aims as an officer. Campaigning can be done in many ways; in person, online and on social media, to reach as many students as possible.

D - Democracy

Elections are all about democracy, as a Union we hold elections each year to democratically elect new or returning officers to lead the organisation and represent the student body. Every MMU student has a right to vote in these elections and we encourage everyone to do so.

 

E – Education

Education is at the heart of the Student Officer Elections and all the officer roles support the experience of students at the University.

 

F - Full-Time Job

Officers work around 35 hours a week, usually between 9am and 5pm, and the role is paid around £19,000 per year.

 

G – Group endorsements

Election candidates can be endorsed by student groups such as sports and societies. This happens when a group agree to put their support behind a certain candidate or group of candidates based on their manifesto/s.

 

H – Hold to account

The role of a student officer is to represent the students when meeting with the University and other outside organisations, and to ensure that their voices are heard. As officers are voted in by their students, they are held accountable by them too.

 

I – International Students

All students at MMU can nominate themselves to run in the officer elections, including international students. International students may need to check their visa status to ensure that they are eligible to stay in the UK for their year as officer and that they are permitted to work the hours required for the role.

 

J – January 28 2022

Friday 28th January is the big day, nominations are open! Any student can nominate themselves to run in these elections and any student (or staff member) can recommend someone who they think would be great for an officer position.

Recommend Someone

 

K – Keep up to date

Candidates can keep up to date with all news about elections via email and the Union website. It’s important that you keep an eye out for updates about things like manifestos, so you don’t miss any important deadlines.

 

L – Liberation Conference

The student officer elections aren’t the only elections happening at this time of year, we are also holding our elections for NUS Delegates. These candidates are elected to attend either NUS Liberation Conference or National Conference, both are a great voluntary opportunity for students to take up alongside their studies.

 

M – Manifesto

Manifestos are a massive part of elections; this is where a candidate will write all their aims and planned campaigns for if they’re to be elected.

 

N – Nominations

Nominations are the process where a student signs themselves up to run as a candidate in the elections. Nominations must be made before 03 March 2022; students can nominate themselves for any officer position and an NUS Delegate position too.

 

O – Officers

There are 5 officer positions available that any student can run for.

President: Leads the team and overseas many of areas of student experience.

Education: Leads on everything related to the quality of teaching, learning and research at Manchester Met.

Wellbeing: Represents issues affecting all aspects of non-academic student life, working with other officers to create positive change.

Societies and Development: This officer represents societies and student groups to the university, local and national organisations.

Sports: Represents student sport to the university, local and national organisations.

 

P – Publicity

Publicity is a crucial part of any candidate’s campaign, getting your name out there, a team behind you and what you stand for clear. But remember, not all publicity is good publicity, so stick to the rules for a fun and fair campaign.

Rules and Regulations

 

Q – Questions

A big part of any elections is getting to know the candidates. Students will be invited to ask nominees questions around their officer position and why they’re the best for the job. If you see them out campaigning, feel free to ask them about their manifesto.

 

R – Re-Open Nominations

You’ll be seeing a lot of RON (Re-Open Nomination) on your ballots when you go to vote. RON is the opportunity to not vote for any of the candidates nominated but to instead re-open the nominations for the officer role.

 

S – Single Transferable Vote

Voting in this year’s Student Officer Elections will use the Single Transferable Vote method. This means that when you cast your vote you will be given the option to vote for your 1st preference for each officer position and then 2nd, 3rd etc. positions for the other candidates on the ballot. When votes are counted votes are transferred from one candidate to another based on how many votes each candidate got and in what positions (1st, 2nd, 3rd etc.). 

 

T – Teams

Slates are formed when two or more candidates join together to work as a team, Slates often share similar ideology and ideas about what they would do if they were to be officers. Working together can be a good way to reach more students and be promoted by other candidates but working as a team can also mean that you are held to account for your Slate’s actions rather than just your own.

 

U – Unions

Every students’ union in the UK has some sort of election to decide who will lead their organisation, lots of these elections are overseen by NUS, the National Union of Students. NUS oversee our elections to ensure fairness and democracy. The Returning Officer and Deputy Returning Officer are The Union’s staff members responsible for checking that all rules and regulations are followed.

 

V – Voice team

The Union’s Voice Team is here to help you with any elections questions or issues, whether you are running as a candidate, think a friend would be great for a role, or are interested in voting and seeing who will lead The Union next. Just send us an email (s.u.elections@mmu.ac.uk) or come and visit us in The Union building if you need any help.

 

W – Winning

All the preparation, nominating and campaigning comes together on Results Night. Five students will be announced winners and start their officer journey. Results will be announced on 17 March.

 

X – VOTE

VOTE! Every student at MMU can vote in the Student Officer Elections and your vote really does count. You vote via our website 14 – 17 March.

 

Y – Year

The Student Officer Elections is just the start of an exciting year in office for 5 lucky candidates. The elected Officers will start their positions at the Union during the summer and will hold them for 1 year.

 

Z – Zzz… take a break

This time of year can be really busy and stressful for candidates and their teams but make sure if you are running for an officer position that you get enough rest! As exciting as this opportunity is it is not more important than your health. Look after yourselves and your friends and always ask for help if you need it.