While UCLan SU has a very liberal approach to the conduct of our elections, there are a few rules which ensure that the true spirit of the process is upheld and that the election can be deemed fairly and properly conducted in accordance with the Union’s Articles of Governance and accepted custom and practice.
For all elections, the Deputy Returning Officer (DRO) is Hannah Mason. The DRO is responsible for the day-to-day running of UCLan SU Elections and oversees the SU Elections. The DRO will examine and respond to all elections grievances in the first instance. The DRO is also responsible for candidate welfare during Officer elections and is in frequent contact with candidates. Contact the DRO by emailing: suelections@uclan.ac.uk.
Download a copy of the rules
Elections Complaints form
1, Candidates, Campaigners, Student Representatives, Students Groups, Elected Officers, UCLan SU Staff and University Staff must act in the interests of a fair election.
2, Candidates, Campaigners, Student Representatives, Students Groups, Elected Officers, UCLan SU Staff and University Staff must treat all others with respect. This includes engaging in healthy debate and not campaigning negatively.
3, No 'Early campaigning' is permitted. Early campaigning is when a candidate (or campaign team member) promotes the candidate and asks students to vote for them. Candidates and Campaigners must wait for after the first Candidates Briefing has concluded to begin campaigning.
4, Votes are casted electronically. Candidates and Campaigners must allow voters to cast their ballot freely and without interference:
a, Students have the right to change their voting at any point in the voting period.
b, Candidates and Campaigners must provide privacy to a student casting their vote.
c, Candidates and Campaigners must not touch the device of a student casting their vote.
d, Candidates and Campaigners must not use the log in details of a student to cast a vote on their behalf.
e, Candidates and Campaigners must not harass a students to vote or whilst voting. Harassment means unwanted contact towards another. This can include continuing to exert pressure on a student for their vote, when they no longer wish to communicate with a candidate or campaigners.
5, UCLan SU Staff shall not become actively involved in the politics of UCLan SU, or be encouraged to do so, and shall remain neutral during elections, whilst encouraging students to actively participate. UCLan SU Staff in this context are employees who work under the direction of the Chief Executive of UCLan SU.
6, UCLan SU Student Staff (including Full Time Officers) shall not become actively involved in the politics of UCLan SU elections, or be encouraged to do so, and shall remain neutral during elections during their protected working hours. They are free to campaign and express an opinion outside of these hours but must not be in uniform (this includes the SU Staff lanyard).
7, Campaigns should be fully transparent and accountable to UCLan SU. No campaigns materials should include the logo of the University of Central Lancashire or UCLan SU or state that either the university or SU approve of them. Candidates will be asked to remove any such logos from their materials.
8, Voters must not be bribed in the act of voting or rewarded for casting vote for a particular candidate. Candidates may give voters campaign promotional materials, but these must be no more than 10p in value.
9, All full-time officer candidates are allowed to spend no more than £50 on election materials, all other candidates are allowed to spend no more than £20. The SU will supply all candidates for elections with some basic campaign resources, free of charge. These will be made available in Candidate Support Week. All campaigners must submit all their campaign costs with receipts to the Deputy Returning Officer. The final deadline for expenses is 1 hour after the closing of the election voting period, failure to do so will result in standard market value being applied. Any donations to a campaign that is not accessible to all must be itemised with the standard market value attached. If no expenditure is incurred this must be declared to the Deputy Returning Officer.
10, Where Candidates, Campaigners, Student Representatives, Students Groups, Elected Officers, SU Staff or University Staff believe an alleged breach of the election rules to have been carried out, they must complete the Elections Complaints form which is readily available on the SU website. All rulings on the interpretation of the rules will be made by the Returning Officer or their nominated representative (i.e. DRO). Interpretation will be in the interest of the electorate and maintaining a free and fair election above all others. If a breach of these rules has occurred, the Returning Officer or their nominated representative may apply a sanction, which will be communicated verbally and in written form with an explanation of the decision and the opportunity to appeal. Sanctions available to the Deputy Returning Officer:
a, A formal warning
b, Temporary campaign ban up to 1 hour for both candidate and campaign team who must reside in a designated SU space for the duration of the ban period.
c, Temporary removal from the ballot for up to 1 hour during the voting period.
d, Disqualification
Complaints will be accepted until 1 hour after the closure of the voting period. Any breach of University or Union regulations in respect of the conduct of students may be referred to the appropriate authorities.
11, The vote count will commence after all expenses and complaints have been processed. All votes are independently verified. In the unlikely event that a tie occurs, both candidates or a nominated person of the candidate will be invited to a ‘coin-toss’ to break the tie. The person first alphabetically by first name will be assigned heads.
Email suelections@uclan.ac.uk with any queries
It's better to check than breach an election rule!