candidate briefing

1. Candidate
Briefing
May 2023

2. Congratulations!
• You are already braver than the average
student!
• The next few weeks will be scary and busy,
but hopefully enjoyable too!
• Don’t forget – you are not alone!
• This briefing is for anyone running in the
following positions: Union Chair, Campus
chair, SCO or Parliament Representatives

3. Key People:
• Michelle Harris – Elections Manager
• Jeni Day – Student Engagement Manager
• Steve Haugh – Director of Marketing ,
Engagement and Strategy

4. Role of a Students’ Union
A Students’ Union (SU) is a University wide representative
body for students, usually focusing on academic, social,
representative and welfare activities.
Common SU aims are to:
• Positively affect & improve the student experience
• Advance education and academic welfare
• Represent and support students

5. Your SU
• The University of Essex Students’ Union is the
primary organisation representing the views
of over 16000 students
• The SU delivers a range of support & services
for our members such as: sports clubs,
societies, advice, shops, bars, and academic
representation. The majority of which are led
by students
• The SU is governed by the Articles of
Governance and the by laws

6. Your SU cont..
• The aim of the SU is to become the world’s most
student-centered organisation.
• Every Year students decide what we focus on, we
call this the Big Plan
• The SU is a registered charity governed by a
Trustee board

7. Student Community Officer and Parliament
Representatives Roles and Responsibilities
All of the available roles are elected
representatives. As an elected official you
will expected to be:
• the voice of students
• working towards change
• held to account by students
• supporting our students
• overseeing the strategy of the Union

8. The
Roles
• These roles are voluntary and
unpaid!
• The SCO roles – you will be
expected to do at least 10 hours a
week so please check your visa
allows this
• The Parliament rep roles require
less of a commitment but there
will be 2 meetings a term plus
training sessions and engaging
with communities time

9. To be able to Campaign:
You must have completed the following:
- Signed and returned the Election rules
- Read this candidate briefing
You must also:
- have not seriously breached the University’s
Code of Student Conduct
- be a current student at the University of Essex
at the time of the election
- Intend to be a student for all of the next
academic year

10. Campaigning
• Campaigning starts at 10.00 on 18th May
2023
• Campaigning ends at 16.00 on 24th May
2023
• All campaigning must be within current
University Covid guidelines
• Advice is available online

11. Your Campaign team
• You will need to email the Election Manager
the full names of your campaigning team by
16.00 18th May 2023
• You are responsible for their actions
• Make sure they know the rules and stick to
them
• Spend time on your campaign - don’t be
overly distracted by what others are doing

12. Budget
You have a campaign budget of £15 if running for
SCO and £5 if running for Parliament Rep and you
may spend it on any costs associated with your
campaign. (All Chair positions are £5)
Receipts need to be submitted to me by 16.00 30th
June 2022, along with your bank details, at which
point you will be reimbursed.
You may be asked to justify any expenses.

13. Manifestos
• There are no restrictions on how
long this should be but consider if
your audience will read it, if its too
long
• Think about your community and
how you plan to engage with them
and represent them, start building
those relationships now
• Tell them about you
– What are your skills?
– What are your experiences?
– Why are you a good candidate and
why should they vote for you
Candidates should refrain from making
any explicit promises but are free to
outline issues they wish to focus on
should they be elected.

14. Big Plan
information • The Big Plan is where the
SU asks our students what
we should be focusing on
next year
• This is informed by the
many surveys we do during
the year and Student Ideas

15. Election Rules
• Candidates are expected to abide by the
rules of the election
• These are available on the website and
must be read and a signed copy returned
to Election Manager, prior to campaigning
• During the election, all University and SU
rules and UK laws apply
• Any questions …ask!

16. Voting
Polling station – The SU will host a polling station on Colchester campus on
23rd and 24th May 2023. Voting is available online from any mobile device
Voting Method – We use Single Transferrable Voting ( STV) – there is a video
available on the website to explain – but students vote for all candidates in
order of preference
RON – Re Open Nominations ( RON)is a candidate in all roles, in all of our
elections and provides students with an alternative option for their votes.
Students may campaign for RON but must inform us if that is the case and
follow all the same rules
The Count – This is done electronically by the Election manager, supervised
by the Returning Officer and Deputy Returning officer. All outstanding
complaints must be resolved before the count can take place
Many roles will also require students to Self define – there is a video on line
to help with this

17. Complaints
- All complaints must be submitted using the
complaints form (link on the website)
- There is a points based penalty system in
place, in response to student feedback
- All complaints will be investigated by the
Election Manager initially
- The full complaints procedure is available
online
- Returning officer’s decision is final
- No complaints can be made once election
closes

18. The Golden
Rule ?
• If in doubt ….ASK!!
suelections@essex.ac.uk
is here to help