Monday 23-10-2023 - 12:07

 

Nominations are now open in our Michaelmas Elections 2023 for JCR Exec and Postgraduate Board Officers, NUS National Conference Delegates and a Student Trustee. In this article, we’ll talk you through how to nominate yourself and create a winning manifesto.

 

 

We know that nominating yourself in an election may be something you have never done before or come across again in your life after university. Here, we’ll explain what you need to know and how to complete the process successfully, as well as writing a winning manifesto and some next steps for you as a new election candidate.

First and foremost, if you have any questions or concerns about the elections, please email lancastersuelections@lancaster.ac.uk.

 

Before nominating yourself 

 

Before submitting a nomination, you should decide what role(s) you would like to stand for. You can read more about the positions available in this election in our Notice here. We have five positions available for NUS National Conference Delegates, one Student Trustee vacancy and all JCR and Postgraduate Board seats are up for their annual election.

You cannot hold more than one position on your JCR Exec or PG Board, but we would encourage you to consider the positions of Student Trustee and/or NUS Delegate which you can hold alongside (you cannot simultaneously be a President of a JCR/PG Board and a Student Trustee, but every other combination is permitted).

Once you have decided what position(s) you would like to stand for, you will need to submit a ‘nomination’ to enter yourself into the election. Nominations close at 6pm on Friday 10th November and you should nominate before this time. To do this, you should head to our nominations platform on the Students’ Union website at www.lusu.co.uk/nominate. You will need to sign-in to our website using your normal University details. After logging in, you may be redirected to our homepage and should re-enter the /nominate address to reach the platform.

On this page you will create and submit your election nomination. The information you submit will be visible in the voting platform when students are making their choices and voting for the people they want to lead the Students' Union or College JCR/PG Board.

You can edit three things: 

 

1. Your Name

 

If you are known by a shortened version of your name, an alternative name or nickname, you may want to amend the name that appears in the "Name to appear on ballot paper" box.

Voters need to know who they are voting for. We encourage you to use the name you are known as by your peers - unless it is super rude.

 

2. Your Photo

 

We ask that you submit a photo as part of your nomination. This will be visible alongside your name in the voting platform.

Please make sure your image file is accepted by the platform. If you are sending an image from an iPhone it must be converted to an accepted image file type. You have responsibility for doing this. Also, we recommend you take the time to ensure your photo is close to the recommended dimensions (or the same width:height ratio): 140px(width) x 201px(height). If the file is too large it will not upload, it must be less than 3MB.

Your photo serves as a means for students to place a face to a name. We recommend having a simple, smiley photo of your face and shoulders (candidates who smile in their photos generally have more success). You don't need to take one especially for this (unless you want to) just make sure the one you submit looks like you; doesn't include anyone else; and is clear, well-lit, and unfiltered.

 

3. Your Manifesto 

 

Your manifesto is a short statement that voters can see by clicking on your profile in the voting platform. We know voters do often take the time to read (or skim read) these before making their decision. We have shortened the word length to 250 words this year to make them more digestible for voters.

This is your opportunity to tell students why you are the right candidate for the position (remember: even if no-one else nominates themselves for this position, voters can vote for Re-Open Nominations (RON). If RON wins, we re-run the election at a later date). In this video here, Frank (LUSU Student Insight & Voice Manager) will look at how to create a manifesto, what to include in it, and how to articulate your points in a way that will win votes.

 

 

What happens after you submit your nomination

 

Congratulations, you are now a candidate in a LUSU election! Once you nominate, we will invite you to the Candidate Briefing. This is where we go through the elections rules and discuss the campaigning and voting period in more detail. It is vitally important that you attend.

This briefing will take place of Monday 13th November via Teams and you will be sent more details once you have submitted your nominations.