A preferendum allows all students to vote for which roles they would like to see be adopted. During a preferenda, students can vote in order of preference. There are three preferenda per year, with the first being used to decide the remits of the Preferenda Portfolio Officer roles. As there are 8 positions to be filled, we encourage students to vote for as many of the options as they like. By voting for multiple preferences their vote is worth more!
The remaining two referendums – one held in the spring term and one in the summer term – will decide the priorities that the SU will campaign on. You can find out more information about this here.
During a preferendum there is an opportunity for students to campaign for a particular idea/solution, they can do this by asking their friends to vote for a specific option. There will also be an opportunity for students to submit a manifesto, a document outlining why students should vote for one of the solutions. These manifestos will then be published for students to view when deciding which option to vote for.
Preferenda's are regulated by the Preferenda Rules, these are published prior to a Preferenda taking place and are overseen by the Governance Sub-Committee and Union Deputy Returning Officer.