Candidate Handbook and Nominations Pack

As you are interested in running for a role within SOAS SU it is important that you know what we are all about. SOAS SU is a charity that represents students at SOAS. Every student at SOAS enrolled in a programme lasting over one year is automatically a member. As a membership organisation we’re led by our members who get to set the direction and make the big decisions about the things that we do. At SOAS SU we campaign, represent and support students by:  

• Organising events  

• Providing clubs and Societies  

• Campaigning on issues that affect students  

• Representing student issue in the school at SOAS committees and boards  

• Working directly with students to address issues and provide individual support  

• Running the SU Bar, Shop and Coffee Pod  

  

Did you know that SOAS SU has a history dating back to early 1900! You can find out more about our history here.  

 

Nominations  

Only Student Members of the SU are eligible to stand as a candidate in the election.  

Nominations must be submitted by the deadline and must include the following, any nominations that are incomplete by the deadline will not be accepted: 

• Proposer and Seconder (you must get the students permission) 

• Manifesto (No longer than 500 words)  

Candidates shall need to request their proposers/seconder to contact the Elections Clerk to confirm their intent to proposer/second your nomination.

Candidates are also asked to submit a photo alongside their nomination. This photo will be used by the SU in a range of election promotion.

Candidates shall only be eligible to nominate themselves for one role per type (Sabbatical Officer, Preferenda Portfolio Officer and NUS Conference Delegate).   

 

Events  

As a prospective candidate, you are encouraged to attend the Elections Information Session on Wednesday, 13 November 2024. 

All candidates must attend the Candidate Briefing on Thursday, 21 November 2024. 

 

Manifesto

You are required to submit a manifesto as a part of the nominations process. This is your chance to state what you intend to do if you were to be elected. Your manifesto can be up to 500 words.  

Your manifesto will be available for voters to view. You don’t have to submit your manifesto at the same time as your nomination, but it must be submitted by the nomination's deadline.  

A strong manifesto will reflect the feelings of students, it will be evidenced based and include the current issues that matter most to students and how you will approach this. Think about why you want to run and write it down! It is also worth remembering that there are many types of students at SOAS so think about who your audience is. You might want to ask yourself the following questions:  

1. What are you interested in and what motivates you?  

2. What makes you angry?  

3. What does the SU already do that I’m interested in?  

4. Why does this role matter to you?  

Finally, make sure your manifesto falls into the remit of the role you are nominating yourself for!  

What to Include 

You will want to include:  

• Who you are  

• What role you are running for  

• Any relevant experience you have  

• Three to five policies that are the most important to you and the most appealing to students.  

Be original and creative, but also practical. Students will expect you to achieve whatever you lay out in your manifesto, so it is important that you keep this in mind. They will also know if something is unrealistic. The best policies strike the balance between what students want and what is achievable in a year. You might also want to speak to one of the current Officers or a member of Union Staff to find out what has already happened on this issue.   

Manifesto Structure 

Below is a simple guideline on how to set out your manifesto; you can lay your manifesto out as you wish. But feel free to use this template as a basic idea.  

Introduction:  

Hello my name is....  

I am running for...  

I am running because...  

I have these experiences which I could use to benefit students...  

I have previously been involved with SOAS SU through...  

   

Key Campaign Points:  

If elected I will campaign on the Following things:  

1. Campaign Point 1  

This issue is important because...  

I will achieve this through...  

   

2. Campaign Point 2  

This issue is important because...  

I will achieve this through...  

   

3. Campaign Point 3  

This issue is important because...  

I will achieve this through...  

   

Closing Statement:  

Please make sure you remember to go out and vote...  

My name is... and I am running for... Please consider voting for me  

   

You could also include contact information and links to where to vote - SOASunion.org/elections 

Manifesto Transparency  

Being elected puts you in spaces and conversations you may not normally be able to access as a student. Many students use these opportunities to help promote existing student campaigns or bodies of work. It is important however that your manifesto does not unintentionally erase the work students have already put into these campaigns and works. It is important that, where mentioning a pre-existing campaign or body of work in your manifesto, you make clear:   

• What has been your involvement in this work so far?   

• What would you hope to do to help, given your new position?  

Finally, all candidates can ask for feedback on their manifesto from the Elections Clark   

  

Campaigning  

Campaigning can seem daunting, but it does not have to be! Find out more here about how to run a fantastic campaign more information will be provided at the candidate briefing. It's important that all campaigning is within the Election Rules.

Planning your campaign  

Look at your manifesto, which students do you think will care most about those issues, think then about how will be best to reach them. Plan using SMART Goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time–Bound. A good campaign will be well thought out around key dates and activities, so make sure you do the prepatory work to make it the best it can be.   

Your Brand  

Part of your strategy may include creating a personal brand. Think about what your brand is and how this can be reflected in your campaign. Make it identifiable and clear and then stick to it, creating brand recognition with all your campaign material.   

Campaign team  

A crucial part of a successful campaign is a team that will help you spread the word. You can ask your housemates, friends from your course, or friends from student groups you are involved in. The more people who are supporting and promoting your campaign, the more students will know who you are and why they should vote for you. It is important that your campaign team are familiar with your manifesto and the rules as you will be accountable for their actions.   

Your campaign team can help you with loads of things from in-person campaigning to design.   

Physical Campaigning  

Physical campaigning might seem daunting, but it is one of the most important parts of the election, you will want to think about how you are going to navigate this.   

A good place to start is simply talking to students by going into some of the social areas on campus and politely asking if you can have a quick chat. Chat to your course mates, housemates, and the person you met that one time, and ask them to talk to their friends and get the word out.  

Please bear in mind there will be campaign free and poster free zones, these will include the Library and vicinity of the polling stations, further areas may be defined by the Returning Officer.  

Physical Campaigning 

Candidates may not campaign in designated Campaign Free Zones, Campaign Free Zones shall include:  

1. The Library 

2. The vicinity of any polling stations 

3. Learning Lounge

4. Prayer Spaces

5. Further campaign free zones may be defined by the Returning Officer and shall be communicated with all candidates.

 

Design  

Designing engaging material is now really easy with tools like Canva, if you’re not sure how to use it there are free courses on LinkedIn Learning. Make sure whatever you create matches your brand! Our recommendation is to:  

• Keep the poster in line with your brand  

• Don’t overcomplicate your design  

• It should include your name, a photo, key policies and slogans  

• Get someone to proof read it   

Social Media   

Using social media is a great way to promote yourself but use Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn or Snapchat. Think about which platforms would target the students you want to vote for you and where you would be most likely to get high engagement.   

Consider if you will want to use the social media accounts you already have set up or if you will want to create election specific social media accounts. There are pros and cons to each; with new accounts you’ll need to build up followers in a relatively short time frame but also consider your privacy on existing personal accounts if you open them up to new followers and the student population. Also think about your digital footprint and what you’ve posted and been tagged in in the past!  

Examples of how you could use social media:  

• e-posters and other graphic design elements  

• videos (including easy to do animation)  

• websites, blogs and podcasts  

• sponsored posts  

• direct messaging  

• hosting lives  

Society and Sports Teams Endorsements

Clubs and Societies that are registered with SOAS SU are able to endorse a candidate or multiple candidates. This can help you secure additional votes, however you should me mindful of the rules surrouding endorsements.

• In order to endorse there must be a democratic decision. This decision can be made by a majority vote of the committee or of the club or society members. This process must happen prior to an endorsement being made. If a committee member is also a candidate they must abstain from voting in this process.  

• Candidates must not start to seek endorsements until the commencement of the campaigning period and therefore no endorsement can be made prior to the campaigning period.   

• Clubs and Societies that have not endorsed a candidate or set of candidates must ensure equal access to the Society/Sports Team at all times.   

• Societies and Sports Teams that have endorsed a specific candidate or set of candidates must not use society budgets towards campaigning activity. All expenses must be allocated within the candidate's budget  

• Societies and Sports Team may inform their members of their decision to endorse a candidate by creating a graphic using their society's branding on social media, however, this branding should not form part of the candidate's campaign material, nor should any physical material be produced.   

• Societies and Sports Team may also notify their members of their endorsement via email and encourage students to vote in the elections, however, these emailing lists must not be used for broader campaigning activities on behalf of a specific candidate. 

Candidates Budget   

Candidates must not exceed their allotted budget. The budgets are as follows:  

12. Sabbatical Officer Candidates £20 

13. Part-Time Officer Candidates £10 

14. NUS Conference Delegate roles £10   

Where a candidate is contesting more than one role the candidate shall be entitled to the budget of the role that receives the highest budget amount.  

Any products/services that candidates already own or are offered at a reduced price will be assigned a fair price to be deducted from the candidates' budget.   

Candidates must submit their Expenses Declaration no later than the close of voting, including those who did not spend anything as a part of their campaign. The Expenses Declaration must include proof of expense of all campaign materials produced or primarily used in this election.   

Candidates shall be reimbursed by SOAS SU following the approval of their Expenses Declaration. 

Assignment of a Fair Price (nominal fees)  

• A4 Black & White | Single sided: 3p   

• A4 Black & White | Double sided: 5p   

• A4 Colour | Single sided: 15p   

• A4 Colour | Double sided: 25p   

• A3 Black & White | Single sided: 6p   

• A3 Colour | Single sided: 25p   

• Bed sheet for decorating: £1   

• Plain T-shirt for decorating: £1   

• Art equipment (colouring pens, paints, etc.): £2  

Items that you use for free, that could reasonably be used by other students will not receive a nominal fee, for example if you conducted a recycling audit, or found an old cardboard box.   

If you have any questions about nominal fees please contact the Elections Clerk. 

Candidate Expenses Tracker 

Expenses Declaration Form

  

Rules  

The elections are governed by the Election Rules, which can be viewed here. There are 6 guiding principles of the elections which ensure that the elections are free and fair, these are:

1. Candidates must treat other candidates, students and members of the public with respect. This includes engaging in healthy debate, to not to campaign negatively or defame individuals character.  

2. Candidates’ campaigns should be fully transparent and accountable to the union.  

3. Candidates must not do anything to gain an unfair advantage.  

4. Candidates must not undermine the fair and democratic running of elections.  

5. Candidates shall be responsible for the actions of their campaign teams. 

6. Candidates must not break any general Union and School rules and regulations. This also includes the Law. 

If you feel that the rules have been broken you may submit and election complaint.

  

Complaints 

Complaints must be submitted via the Complaints Form, provide details of the election rule which is alleged to have been broken along with evidence.  

Complaints must be received via the Complaints Form no later than one hour after the close of voting.

Should a candidate be in breach of the Election Rules the potential actions are: 

15. An informal warning 

16. A formal warning 

17. Campaigning Ban 

18. Disqualification 

19. Any other action deemed necessary by the Deputy Returning Officer or Returning Officer 

Candidates can appeal a decision using the Union's Complaints Procedure. For the purpose of that Procedure they will be entering at the Appeals stage.  

Please see the Election Rules for more information.

  

Key Staff  

Elections Clerk (EC) - Diya Rattanpal, SOAS SU: Responsible for setting up and administering the elections. Your first contact for any election-related questions or complaints, the Elections Clerk will escalate your query or complaint as necessary. This role sits within the Students’ Union.   

Deputy Returning Officer (DRO) - Emily Chapman, SOAS: Responsible for making decisions on all election complaints and issues. Your first contact for any complaints against the Elections Clerk. This role sits within SOAS.   

Returning Officer (RO): NUS - Responsible for making final decisions on difficult or complex complaints and issues. You will not need to contact the RO directly. This role sits within the NUS.  

  

 Elections FAQ's