About our elections
Every year we hold many different elections. Find out the “Who”, “What”, “Whys” of the elections process, or take a deep dive into the intricate details.
What are Durham SU elections?
Durham SU is owned by students. This means that every year students come together and vote for your next student representatives and Trustees in campus-wide elections. Each elected role has a different purpose, but all are voted in by students.
You could even put yourself forward for one of the roles. If you think you’re the right person to represent student needs, speak for Durham students nationally or help keep the SU’s strategy in line, there’s a role for you.
Whether you nominate yourself for a role, or just vote for those you think will be best for each position, the elections are your chance to help chose who will represent and make decisions on behalf of Durham students.
When will the elections take place?
Elections for different roles take place throughout the year and Durham SU advertises them through our channels.
There isn’t an official start date when candidates can start campaigning (encouraging people to vote for them), but they won’t be officially confirmed as candidates until published by the SU.
We set the dates so as not to clash with student exams or summatives, University or SU Board meetings. This gives student candidates the ability to dedicate appropriate time to the elections process. The dates also allow for an Assembly meeting during the elections period, meaning candidates can make themselves visible to other student representatives.
What roles are being voted for?
Different terms have different elections. You can find all the roles, the dates in wich their elections will take place, as well as the different voting constituencies here:
How do I vote in the elections?
If you’re a student at Durham University, you can vote in the SU elections. The only thing stopping you is if you have previously resigned your membership of Durham SU.
You’ll be able through your SU account. You can find more information on how to vote here. Voting takes place via an online ballot by the single transferrable voting method (STV). You can find out more about STV in this video here.
DEEP DIVE INTO THE RULES
We know some students are particularly interested in the intricacies of our elections, so we’ve answered some further questions below. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, go to our elections rules page or our guidance page for candidates.
What is Officer and Trustee neutrality and why don’t we have it?
Officer and Trustee neutrality is the idea that current Student Officers and Trustees should not express a preference for any candidate in the SU elections. This could be an explicit endorsement of a candidate or simply supporting an idea that a particular candidate suggests in their election campaign.
Last year at Assembly, students voted to add a rule that required Student Officers and Trustees to remain neutral during the elections period. Though the rule was approved by Assembly, the new rule contradicts the SU’s Articles of Association. This is because the Students’ Union Officers and Trustees are members of the Students’ Union, just like every student in Durham. Therefore, Officers and Trustees have the same right as all students to fully participate in elections by having a voice and a vote.
Durham SU supports freedom of speech on campus. We encourage student leaders to play full roles in democratic events and express support for candidates and policies. Durham SU doesn’t require its student leaders, such as Faculty Reps or Association Presidents or current Officers to stay silent during important elections where students are expected to debate things that matter to them. This is not consistent with our understanding of education law or the value we place on free speech.
Who is the Returning Officer and how are they chosen?
The Returning Officer makes sure student voters in SU elections can be sure that the elections are run fairly and that all rules are followed. The role is filled by someone outside of Durham and independent of the election candidates. The Returning Officer would also never be involved in the day-to-day running of the elections, allowing them to enforce the elections rules impartially. It’s also important that the Returning Officer has the professional experience to understand the ins and outs of an SU election and is able to challenge the SU, if anything comes into question.
When the Durham SU Board of Trustees recommends a Returning Officer to Assembly (a body of student representatives), it’s up to Assembly to either accept or reject the recommendation.
You can find our guidance on election rules from the Returning Officer here, and the election rules in our standing orders here.
What does a Deputy Returning Officer do and who are they?
The Deputy Returning Officer oversees the elections. They administer the ballot and make decisions regarding elections complaints. The Deputy Returning Officer makes the initial ruling on how any complaints are dealt with and then can request guidance from the Returning Officer if necessary. The Returning Officer’s decision is always final.
The SU’s Standing Orders state that the Deputy Returning Officer should be the Chief Executive. This means students can be confident that the Deputy Returning Officer has a thorough understanding of Durham SU’s specific rules and is experienced in making these decisions.
How is my data used during the elections period?
Durham SU elections are fully subject to the students’ union’s existing policies for data protection, which you can find here.
We will be providing training to all candidates on the appropriate use of data, and advising that their campaigns teams attend too.
At Durham SU, we take any improper use of data seriously. Any failure to account for the use of data may result in an investigation and subsequent disciplinary action.
Data held for the purposes of convening study groups or sports teams, for example, won’t be available for use in a Durham SU election. We will take complaints by any person who has had their data used in this way seriously and, if upheld, this would lead to a sanction being applied to the candidate.
