It's an actual election! 

 

Scale

 

The LUSU Elections in Lent Term are a major part of the academic year in Lancaster. It might not feel the same as the Summerball, Roses, or other huge LUSU events, but it is a big deal! 

 

In 2024, 4467 students went onto our voting platform and carefully cast their vote for the leadership of their Students' Union. That's around 27% of all students at Lancaster.

 

We don't incentivise voting - we trust that students care about the work LUSU does as the representative body for all students. 

 

Voting takes place online over three days. It only takes a few minutes, but we know students take much longer to assess the candidates and make an active choice. 

 

 

History

 

Lancaster students have elected their LUSU Full-Time Officers (FTOs) every year since the 1960s. Though paper ballots have been replaced by online voting, and poster boards have become groupchats, our elections function in broadly the same manner. 

 

You'll see events in the calendar that have been a dependable part of our democracy since the 1960s: 

 

• Our student media teams get prior access to the candidates in order to grill them on their candidacy and promises. Thousands of students watched these Candidate Interviews last year to help them make their decision. 
• Candidate Questions give students the right to turn-up and ask their burning questions. 
• Results Night gives all students the opportunity to turn-up and find out who won. 

 

Rules

 

Deciding who leads the Students' Union is a big decision. So, during the election campaign, you'll see the candidates trying to explain why they are the best choice.

 

To ensure fairness, equity, and trust in our democracy, our elections are bound by strict rules. These state what candidates can and cannot do in their campaigns. 

 

You can read the rules here.

 

There are real consequences if a candidate breaks the rules - amongst other sanctions, we can withdraw them from the elections altogether. If we feel the election is compromised in any way, we will run the ballot again. We did this in 2023, after an issue in the election for International Students' Officer.

 

 

Voters' Rights

 

Every member of the Students' Union has the right to make a private and independent choice about who they feel is best to run the Students' Union. We take this right incredibly seriously. 

 

Our election rules forbid the harassment, intimidation, and coercion of voters by candidates and their campaign teams. Fortunately, this is rare, but any candidates who are found to have purposefully bribed voters or forced someone to vote for them will be removed from the election. 

 

Results

 

The election results are a secret until they are announced. Results for the 2025 elections will be announced on the evening of Friday 7th March, on-campus.