The elections process - how does it work?
Nominations open
Friday 28 March 10:00am
This is the first time that the nominations form will go live on the website. Any student interested in standing for any position will be able to submit their nomination form after this time.
Candidates will receive a copy of the Candidates’ Pack after they submit their nomination form.
Full candidate nominations close
Thursday 13 March 12:00pm
This is the last point in time that students can nominate themselves for a position.
No nomination form will be accepted after this time.
Candidates will receive a copy of the Candidates’ Pack after they submit their nomination form, if they haven’t already done so.
Candidates MUST submit their manifesto alongside their nomination form.
RON nominations close
Friday 14 March 12:00pm
(24 hours after full candidate close)
This is to enable a full candidate RON (re-open nominations) campaign from any student.
Any student wanting to campaign on behalf of Re-Open Nominations shall be granted the same budget as allowed to the other candidates in the Election.
Such a student must make themselves known to the Deputy Returning Officer before the close of Nominations.
Candidate Training
Friday 14 March 13:00pm
Candidates will have an opportunity to be briefed about the election, the rules, the approach being taken, and to grant candidates the opportunity to ask any questions of those leading the running of the elections. If you cannot attend, please alert the Deputy Returning Officer at reps@abertaysa.com.
Campaigning begins
Saturday 15 March 10:00am
Campaigning (ie posters, fliers, etc) MUST not start until Saturday 15 March 10:00. The library is a campaigning- free zone, candidates and their supporters must not display materials or approach students inside the Bernard King library.
Each candidate will get a budget of £50 to support their campaign. They must not go over this budget.
Any activity that candidates conduct online is not viewed by the Students’ Association as campaigning. Therefore, candidates are free to use the internet and social media at any point before and after this date for election purposes.
However, any advertising to Societies, whether in-person or online, must be advertised as an option to ALL candidates - as per our guidelines.
Voting Opens
Monday 17 March 10:00am
All students can vote from this time, by signing into www.abertaysa.com. Students can vote online from any computer, phone, or tablet.
Voting Closes
Friday 21 March 12:00pm
After voting closes, no student will be able to vote. Voting closes at 12:00pm.
Results Announced
Friday 21 March 14:00pm
Results will be announced at the announcement party at 14:00pm.
Frequently asked questions
We use the Single Transferable Vote method. Voters number candidates in order of preference, or just place a ‘1’ by the candidate they want. Voters can rank as many or as few candidates as they wish.
For Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections, please check out this short video by NUS on how the voting system works.
These voting systems mean that it is in candidates’ interests to campaign broadly and to try to get a message across to voters even if candidates believe that specific voters are committed to another candidate as a first preference. It’s always worth campaigning for a voter’s second (or subsequent) preference. This is particularly the case for voters who are part of an opponent’s campaign team.
RON stands for Re-Open Nominations. If students don’t think that any of the candidates are suitable then they can choose to vote for RON. If RON wins any election, that election is re-run.
