EVERYTHING you wanted to know about GETTING ELECTED

Nominations Open (8th February)You can now submit your nomination form to a EUSA reception and officially start your campaign.

Printing Opens (8th February)Providing you have submitted a nomination form you will have access to your printing budget and be able to start ordering publicity.

Nominations Close (18th February, 12 noon)Ensure you have submitted your nomination form and photo by now.

Election Statement Deadline (22rd February, 12 noon)Make sure you have submitted your election statement online go to eusa.ed.ac.uk/elections.

Multiple Candidacy Deadline (22nd Feb, 12 noon)If you are standing for more than one position within the SRC or Union, specify your order of preference online. Go to eusa.ed.ac.uk/elections

Last Printing Orders (28th February, 12 noon)This is the last date on which you can order printed publicity from your budget. To be guaranteed return of your print job by end of day 28 Feb you must submit by 11am, 26 Feb.

Elections Debate (26th Feb, 7.30pm)A night of election hustings for the Sabbatical candidates.

Pollock Door Knocking Day (28 Feb, 3pm-6pm)You can go door knocking in Pollock on this day between 3pm and 6pm.

Pollock Door Knocking Days (1st to 4th March, 6.30pm-8.30pm)You can go door knocking in Pollock on these days between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

Election Open (3rd March, 9am - 4th March, 7pm)Vote online on MyED.

Election Count (4th March, 8.30pm)Head to Teviot Debating Hall to find out who has been elected.

Cleanup Deadline (8th March, 9am)If you have put up posters on lampposts or railings then they need to be down, or you’ll pay a fine.

Timeline

The ElectionsEUSA is run by students, for students. This means that we have elections to decide who will be on our committees. Many students have never stood in an election before. Because of this, we thought it would be a good idea to give you some tips on what it involves. In the past, generations of student activists have passed down tips to their preferred candidates. Here, we have collected some of that advice and condensed it into a short but sweet election guide. Enjoy.

The majority of work will happen in the fortnight before elections, but you need to make sure you are ready to run and know what you are doing before handing in your nomination form.

What to run forChoosing which position to run for is just about the most important decision you will make in the election. Although the elections might be the highest profile part of the role, it’s what you do over the subsequent 12 months that makes the real difference. Make sure you do your research in advance, in this guide and through www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/elections to identify the role that suits you. You can stand for more than one position and hedge your bets, helping you to get

a seat on SRC even if it’s not for your first choice position.

Asking questionsThe opportunity profiles available on-line give a pretty good explanation of the roles, but nothing can beat talking through the role with a real person. There are always people more than happy to answer questions about any of the roles and there are two key ways to get in touch with them:

1. Email reception@eusa.ed.ac.uk to get in touch with EUSA reception, they will find the best person to answer your questions.

2. Pop into the EUSA office in Potterrow and make an appointment to see one of the Sabbatical Officers.

Tell your friendsYour friends are an invaluable asset during the election and will come in handy at just about every stage. So let them know you are standing. Get their ideas and advice, get them excited about helping you. It is always easier if you have other people supporting you, so make them feel part of your campaign right from the start.

Start PlanningDifferent positions require different amounts of work and different amounts of planning. Have a read through the rest of the guide and identify everything you will need to do in the weeks running up to the elections. That includes looking up academic deadlines, holidays or anything else that takes up your time. Things will be a lot easier if you work out when stuff needs to happen and organise your time in advance.

Before it kicks off

Every candidate should be ready for an election campaign and be ready to prove themselves as the best candidate to the student body. Voters will have the opportunity to vote for “Re-open Nominations” so even if you are the only candidate, you still have to run a campaign to be elected.

How To VoteAll voting is done online and accessible day and night whilst the polls are open. The voting system has been specially built to work at Edinburgh University and links in directly to every student’s university computer account. During polling days links through to the elections get a top spot on MyEd and the EUSA website, plus candidates

usually put a prominent link on their websites to direct people through. Students can vote for as many or as few positions as they want and can go back and change their vote up until the close of polls. The count means you can rank all of the candidates in your order of preference.

Transferable VoteIn any EUSA election you rank candidates in order of preference. You obviously have to put down a first choice and can then rank as many or as few further candidates as you want. This basically means that if you first choice doesn’t get through, then your vote switches to supporting your second choice candidate and so on until all your rankings have run out. The full gory

details of how all this works can be found in the EUSA constitution. The key thing is that even if someone doesn’t want to put you as there first choice, you still want to persuade them to list you later on in their rankings as there vote could still clinch you a victory.

Multiple CandidaciesYou can stand for as many or as few positions as you want to, but you can only hold one seat within the Union or SRC. So you could stand in the elections for every position on the Committee of

Management, but you only get to take up one seat. Prior to the elections you should check the order for which positions you’d prefer to be returned to on the candidates area of the elections website.s Then the returning officer will try and ensure that you get elected to the position the highest up your ranking when the results pour in.

The Elections

Positions up for grabsStudent Representative Council (SRC)

SRC School RepsSchool reps form the backbone of the SRC, they are the key link in communicating students views on a school level, up through SRC and to the university. Taking their experiences and listening to their peers to identify problems then driving solutions throughout the university.

SRC MembersThere are many positions available that improve the student experience in areas including accommodation, student finance, ensuring equal opportunities and enhancing student services

around campus. The roles tackle issues affecting student within the university, in the local area and parliament from Holyrood to Westminster.

SRC ConvenorsSRC is made up of a few sub-committees to try and help focus everyone’s ideas. Each committee has a convenor, so one for Academic Services, Welfare, Teaching & Learning and External issues. These individuals chair the committees, channel everyone’s problems and solutions into an effective campaign that makes a difference and solves the problem.

Action Groups Convener posts are also available.

Committee of Management (CoM)

Union ExecThese five roles are there to ensure the union is delivering for students; they work with managers throughout the EUSA to improve services for students. The roles are split, with one officer focussing on Shops, Catering, Bars, Entertainment and Ethics & Environment.

Ordinary MembersThe ordinary members work with the members of Union Exec to define a vision for what difference the Union should be making on the student experience. Then following it through to ensure that the permanent management staff within the union are securing that vision.

Societies

Societies ConvenorThis role chairs the Societies Executive, which is made up of leaders from across many societies. The Convenor is key in pushing for improved society facilities and resources from EUSA and the university.

Societies SecretaryProvides support to the convenor, helping students wanting to set up new societies and organising big profiling opportunities like the Societies Fair during Freshers’ Week.

Societies TreasurerDoesn’t have to actually organise every societies’ accounts but helps give support to society treasurers and helps societies secure outside funding.

Finance CommitteeMost of these positions are filled by students elected from other committees, however there are three ordinary student positions available in the elections. Finance Committee oversees the finances of the organisation and acts as the board of trustees, ensuring that all parts of the organisation are using their resources effectively to deliver for students. The Finance Committee are also the board of directors for EUSA’s spin off trading company EUSA Co.

NUS DelegatesEUSA is a highly active member of the National Union of Students (NUS) within Scotland and the whole UK. The focal point of this involvement is at national conferences, to which

we send a delegation of students to represent EUSA. Delegates are responsible for representing the views of students as defined by the highest student decision making body, the SRC.

SabbaticalsThe sabbaticals are four elected students who take a year out of their degrees to work full time to improve the student experience. Each sabbatical has a specific remit and set of issues to tackle, but they are also collectively responsible for ensuring that EUSA as an organisation is developing to meet the future needs of students. PresidentThe figurehead of EUSA and the main point of contact with the world outside of the university. The role is involved

in everything that EUSA does, but particularly focuses on tackling student issues outside of the university from funding to accommodation. It is important to remember that the president is not in charge of EUSA and is not the boss of the other sabbaticals.

Vice-President Services (VPS)The VPS remit covers the student unions, ensuring that the buildings we have and the services we operate are run for students. The role provides a constant student voice within the unions, driving through changes and improvements that the student need and demand. The VPS is also responsible for overseeing the finances of the whole of EUSA.

Vice-President Academic Affairs (VPAA)The VPAA has a very busy role, always out and about round the university, working directly with university staff to improve the quality of teaching and academic facilities. The role can make a massive impact on students, acting as the student voice driving issues right into the heart of the university.

Vice-President Societies and Activities (VPSA)The VPSA has split in their remit between societies and student welfare. They are the sabbatical officer responsible for ensuring EUSA provides effective support to over 200 student societies which can be enough in itself. The role is also responsible for representing students on welfare issues to the university and leading welfare campaigns across campus.

Your manifesto sets out what you want to achieve should you be elected. It will be presented in different formats on posters, website and in your election address. Having an idea of your objectives for the year are important in winning votes, but can also help drive you to make an impact in the year to come.

ResearchA detailed knowledge of the internal working of EUSA and the University is not necessary to get elected, or to do an excellent job later in the year. However it is important that you have an understanding of the issues effecting students in relation to the role. This can come from your personal experience, but make sure you speak to as many of your friends as possible to share ideas and experiences and to help give you a clearer picture of what students really care about.

Pulling it togetherBefore working on printed publicity, canvassing round campus or starting lecture announcements, you need to know why you are standing and what difference you want to make to the student experience of your electorate. You need to work out the best way to present this, whether you need a thesis up on you website or a flyer with just three key points. At some point you need to sit down pull together all your ideas and all the conversations you have had with students to develop a clear vision for your year ahead.

Manifesto

Many people regard this as the most important piece of publicity you have, your election statement appears alongside your photo on the election site and may be the last thing people see before they vote.

SubmissionYou submit your election statement online, by following the links from eusa.ed.ac.uk/elections. Your statement is submitted through an online form and you are restricted in how to format the text. The deadline for submitting your statement can be found on the election timeline, after the deadline you will not be able to modify the content or formatting of your election address.

ContentYour statement is your key opportunity to explain who you are, why you are standing and what you want to achieve. Each position has a different maximum word limit, which will force you to keep your statement short and to the point. You must consider what will persuade people to vote for you, not just what you say, but how you say it. Most people devote their space to talking about what they want to achieve, rather than about themselves.

Style & FormatPeople will be reading a lot of election statements and will possibly just flick through them as time wears on. So you need to think about how you present your statement, do you want big blocks of text or snappy bullet points. You need to think about how simple tools like the bold and italic buttons can grab attention. Don’t be afraid to be original and don’t be afraid to copy others, you can view election statements from years gone by at eusa.ed.ac.uk/elections and get some ideas on the best way to style yours.

Word LimitsPosition WdsPresident, VPS, VPSA, VPAA

450

Societies Convenor, SRC Executive, Action Group Conveners, Union Executive Members, Debates Convener,Finance Committee Senior and Ordinary Members, Committee of Management Senior and Ordinary, SRC Officers

200

All Other Candidates 100

Election Statement

eusa.ed.ac.uk/elections

Nominations open and the university morphs into a forest of smiling faces on brightly coloured paper, heralding the on set of election season.

The BudgetEUSA provides credit for use of the University Printing Department. This prinitng has to be ordered online through the candidates’ website. You can also spend your own money on your Election campaign, up to the printing budget allowance for each position you are standing for, outlined over the page. You need to keep your receipts for all this expediture in case

someone complains and you need to provide receipts to the Returning Officer.

DesignThere isn’t a set route to success on what works design wise. You need to consider what message you are trying to get across, how you are going to present yourself and your ideas in a way that will encourage people to pay attention and ultimately vote for you. Remember that as the elections draw closer students will start to switch off to the mass of posters and flyers around them. So don’t rely solely on printed publicity and make sure what you produce stands out. At the

very least you have to include your name and the position you are standing for, due to common sense and the election regulations.

One big (or small) decision to make is over the size of poster or flyer you go for. You only have so much money for publicity and potentially 25,000 students to reach. The bigger your material the more it costs and the less you have. You can hand out A5 leaflets, but they won’t last as long as getting A6 or A7. At the opposite end you can economise with A4 posters rather than A3, but then you need to balance the design to ensure you have the same visual impact in a smaller area.

Posters (A4 & A3 size)Posters can be put on notice boards and hoardings around the campuses. Poster can also be pasted onto cardboard and tied to lampposts. If you plan on taking the cardboard option then you can try local shops and scavenge cardboard boxes they are going to throw out

Printed Publicity

or recycle, but don’t leave it until the last moment as it can take time. There are only certain areas around campus that you can place posters on lampposts and railing, so check the map in the full election regulations first.

Top Tip: Make sure you’ve got a warm coat and gloves, tie-ing up posters outside takes time and gets cold.

BudgetsPosition £President, VPS, VPSA, VPAA 120

Societies Convenor, SRC Executive and Union Executive, Action Group Conveners

30

Finance Committee, Committee of Management, SRC Officers, NUS Delegate

15

Societies Council, Other SRC positions, Debates Committee

10

School Council Positions 0

Despite an ever increasing number of way to communicate with students, the results show that the candidates who get out their and speak to people win votes. That can be you on your own, with one or two friends or a huge campaign team. Chatting to people around the unions, in the street, through lecture announcements or knocking on doors throughout University accommodation.

Lecture Announcements

WhereWork out where you are going. Sometimes it’s easier to just go to somewhere there are lots of lecture theatres – David Hume Tower, Appleton Tower, or JCMB, and find one with people in it. You may want to look up time tables, but this can be more bother than it’s worth.

Before the announcementWhen you arrive, ask the lecturer if they mind if you do it. They are normally fine with it, although some will ask what it’s about. If they say no, politely leave and run to the next theatre – you might get there in time to do that one instead.

The announcementKeep it short and simple. Look up at the people in front of you, and imagine you are speaking to the people in the back row. This will help you be loud enough. Speak slowly and clearly. Keep it brief and to the point. Say your name and the position you are running for at least twice – remember, your name is the one thing they have to get. If they don’t get that, there is no point in telling them anything else. Think about your rhythm. If you end on a triplet, you should get a round of applause. A good lecture announcement can get a laugh, applause and a key message across in less than a minute.

Random Approaching

This is best done in cafes etc around campus. Start by saying something like, ‘do you mind if I pester you for a second?’. Once you have got them, introduce yourself to each of them – ideally shaking their hand and getting their name. You have to gauge how chatty they are. Some people are busy and only want to hear your key message. Others will want a bit of a chat and to get to know you. However long it takes, don’t just talk at them, people zone out very easily. Make sure it’s a conversation.

Speak to people

WhereYou can of course knock on anyone’s door around the city, but to guarantee you are hitting students it’s advisable to hit university halls and flats. That in itself is almost every first year, plus extras, so a lot of doors, a lot of time and a very sore throat. You need to develop a plan, identify all the blocks of accommodation around the city, which you are going to hit and when (and how many times). You can get a city map with all the university accommodation from the Accommodation Services website at www.accom.ed.ac.uk

WhenYou can visit flats pretty much anytime, before the elections just be considerate of the residents so not too

early in the morning or too late at night. You also need to consider when people will actually be in, think about lecture times and the day of the week. Door knocking in Pollock is far more restrictive and is nailed down to just a few hours on a restricted number of days, check the election regulations to clarify when these are.

How to get inFlats have buzzers. Press the button and wait for someone to reply. If no one does, try the next one, and so on. Often people don’t ask who you are, and just buzz the door open. Sometimes they will ask – if you say ‘it’s about the students’ association elections’ they will normally let you in. If it’s in Pollock, you just have to wait for someone to let you in.

What to sayAgain, introduce yourself and ask if there are any flatmates in. Make sure you have your key messages and that you get them across. Give them a leaflet. You have to gauge how long you are going to talk to people. Some will appreciate a bit of a chat. Others want you to be brief. Remember, they will only really remember one thing that you tell them, to make sure you choose your message.

Door Knocking

WebsiteThese days almost everyone

has some form of website for their campaign, although how important they are is unclear. Having lots of information can satisfy the curiosity of the more interested voters, however most people will not have the time to examine everyone’s website in detail. Just like a flyer or poster you need to excite people about your campaign immediately and not expect them to read everything in detail.

Not many people have the knowledge to code a website from scratch, but there are two solutions.

1. Find a friend who can – make sure they are good enough and that they can

meet the deadlines you need. If you friend an do the design side they should be able to give you some advice on where to host the site too.

2. There are some free brilliant sites such as Moonfruit.com which allow you to build a website using an interface similar to Microsoft Word. With a bit of an eye for design and enough time you can produce some excellent sites.

VideosVideos are a pretty new addition to the election arsenal; you can now embed a

video next to your election statement for people to see whilst voting. The use of

videos is fairly uncharted and there aren’t any firm guidelines on what works and what doesn’t. Key points to remember are that people will not want to spend a few minutes hanging around whilst voting to watch everyone’s video and a lot of people will vote in Microlabs where there isn’t usually any sound.

FacebookAn election Facebook group has become a staple of any election campaign and

takes relatively little effort to set up. The first group of people you need to get voting for you are your friends, so an invite to your Facebook group can be a good reminder. There are many more features on Facebook to tap

into including applications, fan pages or integration with your election website, plus many more. There have been a few forays into these newer features, as well as new social network sites like Twitter.

T-ShirtsSabbatical candidates are allowed to buy a limited number of t-shirts out of their

own money.

Other Publicity

Returning Off cerThe Returning Officer is responsible for administering the elections and ensuring candidates are following the election regulations. The EUSA Chief Executive is the Returning Officer and is aided by an Assistant Returning Officer. From here on in where the Returning Officer is referred to it includes the Assistant Returning Officer.

QuestionsNo one other than the Returning Officer can give you advice on the election regulations and their interpretation. Many people will have their view or ideas on what is acceptable within the regulations, however if you fall foul of the rules then you cannot fall back on their advice as a defence.

DisciplineThe Returning Officer is responsible for enforcing the election regulations. Should you breach the election regulations it is up to the Returning Officer to make a ruling on any sanctions. Disciplinary action can be anything ranging from a reduction in publicity budget, to having voting for yourself suspended up to disqualifications from the elections.

AppealsAny disciplinary decisions taken by the Returning Officer can be appealed and the decisions will be reviewed by the Elections Appeals Committee, which is made up of two of the EUSA Sabbatical Officers and a few people from the University.

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Edinburgh University Students’ AssociationPotterrow5/2 Bristo SquareEdinburgh, EH8 9ALTel: 0131 650 2656Fax: 0131 668 4177Email: eusa.enquiry@ed.ac.ukWebsite: www.eusa.ed.ac.ukEUSA is a Registered Scottish Charity (No. SCO15800)Printed on Revive 120 Offset by Scotprint, Edinburgh