Elections basics
How are elections structured?
All your committee members must be elected into their role through an election, which will be held online. An election consists of a nomination period (where members can nominate themselves for a committee role) and a voting period (where members vote for the student they want to be elected). Only current students who are a member of your society can nominate and vote in elections.
How to create new roles
Usually, students have the option between four core roles: President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Equality and Diversity Officer. A student may only hold one of these roles at any one time. Our high-risk societies will also have a Health and Safety Officer as part of their core committee. However, sometimes your society might decide you need more committee roles, for example a Vice President, a Social Media Officer, or a Fundraising Officer. If you want to set up a new role there are some steps you need to take.
- The committee must write up the responsibilities of the new role.
- This must be presented to your members with advance notice.
- You must hold an internal vote on whether to create the role. You can do this via Google Forms. The vote options must include: 'In Favour', 'Abstain', and 'Against'.
- Evidence of this vote, such as screen shots of the results page must be sent to us for the new position to be recognised.
- We will confirm that the new position has been created and you must then request a by-election to fill this position. Remember, only standard society members are eligible to vote towards the creation of new roles, and in the by-elections.
Check out the committee roles and responsibilities page for more information on roles and their responsibilities, and the training page for videos on role creation and more.
Bulk elections and by-elections. What's the difference?
There are two types of elections: the main election that all societies participate in (in Spring), and the by-election (in Autumn).
For the main election, there is a two week timeframe. During this period, all committee positions will be open for election for the new academic year. There will be one week where members will nominate themselves for committee positions and one week where members will be able to vote for who they want in the roles. After these two weeks we will communicate the results to you. Failure to elect a committee during this period may result in your society closing down. You may choose to organise an Annual General Meeting (AGM) to coincide with the election. For more information on the AGM, check out the governance and democracy page of the Committee Portal.
A by-election is held when you have a vacant position that needs to be filled because a committee member has stepped down, etc. Any vacant committee roles from the spring bulk election will be automatically added to an Autumn Bulk by-election. We've created a Google Form that allows you to choose when each stage of your election will take place. It is important that you read the form thoroughly, as incorrectly completed forms will delay how soon your by-election can be held. If you have any questions regarding this form, contact activitiesadmin@shu.ac.uk.
How to nominate, vote, and receive results
To nominate themselves, your members will need to go to your society page during the nominations period, click on the role they want, and press nominate. They will be given the option to upload a photo and a manifesto. Their status will show as pending until we approve the candidate before voting starts. Other members will not be able to see who has been nominated yet.
To vote, your members will need to go to your society page during the voting period. They will be able to view all the candidates for each role and read any manifestos uploaded. They will then be able to vote for who they want in each role. Candidates can vote for themselves.
When voting has closed, your coordinator will communicate the results with the committee.
Request a By-Election
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the volume of by-elections requested for the same societies, we are limiting each society to one by-election per semester. This is to ensure your elections are meaningful and to prevent voter fatigue amongst your members. Some societies may experience circumstances where a second by-election is permitted, but this will be discussed with you on a case by case basis.
If your society needs to request a by-election during the academic year to fill a vacant role, you can do so using the following button.
Request a by-election
Society election hub
The society elections webpage hosts the bulk election as well as the election resources you may need to access for support as a committee and for your candidates.
Handovers
A handover is a useful piece of work created by the current committee and given to those taking over for the new academic year. The better quality the handover, the better start the new committee has in hitting the ground running in the new year. It is the responsibility of the outgoing committee to ensure they provide a detailed handover to the incoming committee.
We've made a quick video with lots of tips on how to plan and deliver your handover.
What to include in a handover
The handover must include:
- Logins and passwords for the email account and social media accounts.
- Any information about key contacts and suppliers.
- A financial overview of the society's current position. Keeping the finance tracker up-to-date will be helpful here! Check out the society finance page for more information.
- Information about equipment (what do you have, where is it kept, does anything need replacing/ servicing?)
We've created a number of resources full of other considerations for you to work through that will get you thinking about the types of things the incoming committee may need to know.
But don't limit yourselves! The point of a handover is that it is personal to each society and to give the new committee the information they need and that you wish you had at the start of your term. It is good practice to work on this continuously throughout the academic year, so reflect on the successes and challenges your committee has faced.
Handover considerations
Handover planning template
Society inventory form
If you have any questions regarding the election process or how to plan your handover, contact us at activitiesadmin@shu.ac.uk.