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NUS ELECTIONS 2018 Rules and Regulations The following is a guide of rules and regulations for NUS delegatesContents of this documentRules and Regulations: Page 2 Incumbent Officer and Student Staff Rules and Regulations: Page 5 SUPPORTING A CANDIDATE: CLUB & SOCIETY GUIDELINES: Page 8 SUPPORTING A CANDIDATE: SABBATICAL OFFICERS GUIDANCE: Page 10 NUS ELECTIONS RULES AND REGULATIONSWe want these rules to guide a free, fair and fun process to elect The Union’s NUS Election candidates in November 2018. Any questions, challenges and complaints about these rules or the conduct of the elections must be made in writing to the Deputy Returning Officer as soon as possible. The Deputy Returning Officer is Lisa Burton whose contact details are l.burton@mmu.ac.ukThe Returning Officer will be a member of staff from the National Union of Students who will be contactable through via Lisa Burton.Our general philosophy is that, candidates are to conduct themselves in a way that is fair and reasonable and engage in a positive campaigning experience that helps students to vote. We do not believe that restrictive rules help the elections process to engage students in discussions about the future of their experience, or help them to vote. As such, our rules are deliberately minimal. We expect candidates to ensure that they and their campaign teams support this and ask all candidates to sign a Campaigns Pledge before campaigning starts.EXPENDITURECandidates may not spend more than ?10 on the election, which will not be reimbursed. All candidates should plan their campaign expenses carefully and keep receipts to ensure that they keep within their budgets. The Union knows that some items, for example bits of wood, cardboard boxes and string, are easily available and might not result in campaign costs. We encourage innovative campaigning and use of resources but we do not want candidates to get carried away. We will listen to serious complaints of over-the-top use of items and may ask candidates to prove fair use, and ask them to stop using unfair items.CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENTAny current student can endorse and be a supporter of your election campaign. If any of The Union club or society’s wish to endorse a candidate or a group of candidates then they must ensure that this is done via a democratic decision of the committee and there should be evidenced proof that this has happened for example a set of minutes from the meeting where the decision was made. Guidelines have been created for clubs and societies, including a form to complete declaring their support of a particular candidate. All clubs and societies can get these documents from the Opportunities Office. All complaints received about this process not being adhered to will be taken very seriously and investigated, this could affect the candidate(s) position in the election. If the club or society then decides to send out a message via email or Facebook on your behalf they must include a link to the website (leadyourunion) where all other candidates’ manifestos can be read. All complaints received will be taken very seriously and investigated.You are welcome to host your own events, for example a social in a local venue. However, as you are not allowed to be endorsed by the company, anything that happens within said social needs to be available to all candidates. Please apply common sense when hosting an event.You are not allowed to be endorsed by an external company or promoted via a commercial company. For example, a local business would not be able to appear on your promotional material nor can they openly support a single candidate.The Union understands many students will visit local nightspots where campaigning may take place, but the venue cannot be seen to promote a single candidate or group of candidates. PROMOTIONAL MATERIALCandidates are responsible for ensuring that they have permission to post publicity or to canvass in specified areas. Any publicity that is deemed to break The Union’s equal opportunities policy will be treated very seriously. Candidates should also be aware that they are responsible for any activities carried out by their supporters and the publicity that they distribute on your behalf. Our Equal Opportunities Policy can be found at: Whilst publicity does not need to be approved by The Union, if you are unsure in any way about the content then The Union strongly advises you check before going to print or distribution. To do this you should contact l.burton@mmu.ac.uk You are able to print out as many posters and flyers as you wish. However, if you choose to do this on your own then all costs will need to be accounted for, recorded and receipted and cannot go over your budget of ?10. Any conduct or publicity that is deemed to break The Union’s equal opportunities policy will be treated very seriously.You can also produce your own election videos and upload them on to your own website, but please keep in mind that any costs (for example paying for a domain name etc) will need to be accounted for, recorded and receipted and cannot go over your budget of ?10. You can also upload a video to YouTube and add it to the website where your manifesto is, this will need to be done by the manifesto deadline of 28th November 2018 at 4pm.HALL KNOCKS AND LECTURE SHOUTSWe will be letting the staff in charge of Facilities- Campus & Residential Services at the university know when campaigning for elections should take place and when they might expect candidates to come along. It is down to you to organise this with the following people:All Saints Student Living (Cambridge and Cavendish) – Priya Patel P.Patel@mmu.ac.ukBirley Student Living (Vine, Dunham, Warde, Naylor and Dale) – Robyn Hines R.Hines@mmu.ac.ukDaisy Bank – Dawn Howle Dawn.Howle@Liberty Central – Helen McCann H.McCann@libertyliving.co.uk Wilmott Student Living (Oxford Court, Needham Court, and Briarfields) – Miriam Mkumbwa Miriam.Mkumbwa@We remind you that you are responsible for your actions and the actions of your campaign team whilst carrying this out.We will take all complaints we receive from students and from the university very seriously and these will be investigated. We also specify that whilst you can take flyers around with you to give to people when you speak to them, you should not just post flyers under doors as this causes unnecessary litter.CONDUCTCandidates are ambassadors for MMU students and The Union expects everyone to behave civilly and honestly. Candidates are also responsible for ensuring that they have permission to post publicity or to canvass in specified areas. Any conduct or publicity that is deemed to break The Union’s equal opportunities policy will be treated very seriously. Candidates should also be aware that they are responsible for any activities carried out by their campaign team.If you are unsure about any activity that you intend to carry out during the elections periodthen The Union strongly advises you check before doing so. To do this you should contactl.burton@mmu.ac.uk.CASE STUDIESRunning in an election is incredibly fun, tiring and hard thought. It is easy to get caught up in the emotion of it all and sometimes your passion could end up upsetting voters, annoying other candidates or breaking the election regulations.Below are a number of case studies to help you find the right balance throughout your campaigning:IT Suite Campaigning – This is against the regulationsWanting to talk to as many students as possible is paramount during an election, however, it is important to remember the rules and regulations and make sure you stick to them. Some of the places that are always full of students are the Library and IT Suite. In previous years, candidates have spent time in the IT rooms asking students to vote whilst they are sat at their computers. This not only annoys the students whilst they are working, but is against the regulations. Candidates have been removed from the election for continually campaigning in those areas. Play it safe, there are 37,000 students so you can find them in lots of other places.Interrupting other candidates as they make their pitch to studentsElections can be tough, and running against other active candidates can spur you on to succeed. Don’t let the competition get in the way of a fair campaign. Campaigning fair is important and so is having respect for the candidates you may be running against. Candidates may try to distract you whilst you are talking to a student, they may try to ‘hijack’ your campaigning as you tell students what your manifesto is or why you are running. If this happens to you do not let it bother you, do not rise to it and report it to the Deputy Returning Officer. If you are a candidate who is thinking about doing it then think about the impact it would have if it was done to you or think about how off putting it can be for the student.Keeping distance (from mobile voting devices)All the hard work that goes into campaigning means nothing if nobody votes. The Union hastried to make it as easy possible for students to vote. Voting can be done online and using tablets/mobile devices. When a student is casting a vote it’s important to let them cast the vote they want to cast. The nature of mobile devices means that students can vote there and then, don’t be afraid to let them know that, however, it is vitally important that you give them breathing space to cast the vote in private. If you see them voting for you or someone else on their mobile device or PC then you are definitely too close. Treat it like putting a pin number into an ATM machine, back away and allow students to vote in. NUS Delegate Election 2018 Incumbent Officer and Student Staff Rules and RegulationsIf you are responsible for line managing student staff it is strongly advisable that you read the elections Rules and Regulations document which can be found at: Incumbent Sabbatical Officers Standing for electionIncumbent Sabbatical Officers wishing to stand for election must declare this and take paid holiday and time in lieu, throughout the campaign period. This should be organised in the usual way in which an officer would book leave or time off in lieu. For this purpose, the campaign period will be the period between the opening and close of voting. Officers may take leave for campaigning purposes, but this must be taken from the time Officers wish to start actively campaigning until the close of voting. We will deal with cases of emergency and/or exceptional circumstances where Officers need to work during this period on an issue-by-issue basis in consultation with relevant staff, Officers and the Returning Officer.Incumbent Sabbatical Officers wishing to stand for election must not actively campaign during their core working hours (10am-4pm), unless leave or time off in lieu have been taken.Incumbent Sabbatical Officers wishing to attend elections sessions as prospective candidates must take this time as a break or as time off in lieu. For clarification, attending an elections session is not defined as active campaigning. Officers should attend these sessions as potential candidates and not as Officers, as such, where possible, Officers are asked not to wear name badges, Union branded clothing etc. that they would wear as part of their role.Incumbent Sabbatical Officers supporting and/or campaigning for a candidateIncumbent Sabbatical Officers wishing to show support for a candidate in the elections must declare this by completing a declaration form, stating reasons for their support. This must be completed after the publication of nominations and manifestos and must be given to the Deputy Returning Officer before the start of the voting period. Only after the Deputy Returning Officer receives a declaration of support can an Officer use their position to support said candidate in the elections. In the interest of fairness and transparency, Officers should be open about their support and reasons for support of a candidate in the elections. Officers should have the interests of the membership in mind when declaring support for a candidate.Incumbent Sabbatical Officers wishing to support and actively campaign for another candidate must declare this. All campaigning activity must take place outside of core working hours (10am til 4pm including any breaks taken) and using only personal social media accounts. Officers may take leave for campaigning purposes but this must be booked in advance and declared to the Deputy Returning Officer.Incumbent Sabbatical Officers wishing to declare support for a candidate but who do not wish to actively campaign for that candidate do not have to take leave. Publication of election datesDates for the nominations, voting period the publication of nominations and manifestos will be widely publicised before the nominations period. These dates may change each year. The Deputy Returning officer will publicise these dates and rules for Officers before the nominations period.Access to Union ResourcesBy taking leave or time off in lieu to campaign, Officers are confirming that they will not be working so they should not answer emails, blog or tweet from Union accounts, use the office or come into work. We will deal with cases of emergency and/or exceptional circumstances where Officers need to work during this period on an issue-by-issue basis in consultation with relevant staff, Officers and the Returning Officer. Officers can access The Union and its resources in the same way as any other full member of The Union would during this time. On their last day of work, Officers must hand in their keys and fob to the Deputy Returning Officer or their representative who will pass these on to the HR Manager.Incumbent Sabbatical Officers wishing to stand for election or campaign for another candidate must not use Union resources, except those freely available to them as full members of The Union, to help them campaign; this includes, but is not limited to, their office space (this includes holding campaign meetings), officer computers, ipads, phones, the printer and guillotine. If any of these resources need to be used for work related reasons during the campaign period or during time off, Officers must ensure that they have sought permission from the Deputy Returning Officer, who will liaise with relevant staff where necessary.Incumbent Sabbatical Officers wishing to stand for election or campaigning for another candidate must not use resources that are only available to them because of their position in any way to advantage their election or the election of a candidate they are supporting; this includes the use of Officer and Union Social Media accounts. Whilst Officers may talk about the fact they are currently in post and the experience they have gained from that, they may not use meetings that they attend to profile themselves whilst working, for example, course rep meetings or sports and society meetings. Officers must not use contacts only available to them because of their role to advantage their election, as such, Officers must not direct students to follow them etc. from a Union social media account to a personal social media account.The Union Staff PoliciesIncumbent Sabbatical Officers are entered into a contract of employment with The Union and as such should adhere to all Union policies during the elections process and throughout their employment at The Union. All Union staff policies can be accessed via the HR Manager.Election Rules & RegulationsTo access staff in relation to the elections, Officers must do as set out by the rules and regulations and in the way that all other candidates do so.Incumbent Sabbatical Officers standing for re-election are subject to all other election rules and regulations unless otherwise stated in these rules for Officers.To nominate yourself for election and to vote you must use your student officer log in to access the website. Any problems with logging in should come via the Deputy Returning Officer who will liaise with Marketing.Lisa Burton is the Deputy Returning Officer for these elections therefore if you have any other questions in relation to elections or are unsure of anything that you?want to use and/or do?contact the Deputy Returning Officer for clarification, who will liaise with the Returning Officer where necessary. What about student staff?If you are responsible for line managing student staff it is strongly advisable that you read the elections Rules and Regulations document which can be found at: This is in case students have any questions about what they can and cannot do. Student staff standing in the election: As with incumbent Sabbatical Officers the same rules and regulations apply (as above) on the use of Union resources. Part time student staff are permitted to work during campaigning and voting times as The Union does not wish to put any financial strain on students who choose to be involved in our democratic processes.Every member of staff working for The Union must remain neutral in terms of election candidates, promoting democracy rather than individuals’ candidacy, which also applies to student staff. If student staff are either standing for election or are actively campaigning for candidates they must only do so outside of working hours.Candidates are responsible for the actions of their campaign teams therefore if any student staff breaks these rules and regulations, regardless as to whether or not they are a candidate themselves, the breach will be taken seriously by the Deputy Returning Officer and could result in disqualification of a candidate.SUPPORTING A CANDIDATE: CLUB & SOCIETY GUIDELINESNUS ELECTIONS As members of a club or society, you may be asked to give your backing to a particular candidate or group of candidates in any election, this is absolutely fine.We encourage you to get actively involved in the elections and promote voting to members of your club or society. After all, the people who are elected in will be the key decision makers on issues that may directly affect you as a member of Opportunities. However, there is a simple process that you must follow if you choose to give and promote the backing of your entire club/society.If any Union club or society wishes to endorse a candidate or a group of candidates then they must ensure that this is done via a democratic decision of the committee, and there should be evidenced proof that this has happened. If a member of your committee has a conflict of interest, (i.e. they are running in the election or are part of a candidate’s support team) they should declare this at the start of the meeting and cannot chair the meeting. If you need any guidance on this please contact the Opportunities Office or Lisa Burton, Student Voice Manager.If, as part of your backing, you decide to send out a message via email or Facebook on behalf of the candidate then you must include a link to the website leadyourunion where all other candidates’ manifestos can be read.We advise looking into all candidates and reading their manifestos before choosing who you would like to back. This will ensure that you back the candidate, and/or group of candidates, whose promises best reflect the needs and wants of your club and/or society. You may choose to invite candidates to speak with your club/society/ committee prior to making a decision.All complaints about this process not being adhered to will be taken very seriously and investigated. This could affect the candidate(s) position in the election. If you have any questions about the process, or elections in general, please contact Lisa Burton at l.burton@mmu.ac.uk Candidate You Are SupportingYour Club or SocietySignatures from all Committee Members (except for those with a conflict of interest as mentioned above)Date of Committee MeetingReason for Support:By signing this form you are confirming that a discussion and democratic vote has taken place, where the majority of your committee voted in favour of supporting the candidate(s) mentioned above.Club or Society Chair Signature: _________________________ Date: _______________SUPPORTING A CANDIDATE: SABBATICAL OFFICERS GUIDANCEIncumbent Sabbatical Officers supporting and/or campaigning for a candidateIncumbent Sabbatical Officers wishing to show support for a candidate in the elections must declare this by completing a declaration form, stating reasons for their support. This must be completed after the publication of nominations and manifestos and must be given to the Deputy Returning Officer before the start of the voting period. Only after the Deputy Returning Officer receives a declaration of support can an Officer use their position to support said candidate in the elections. In the interest of fairness and transparency, Officers should be open about their support and reasons for support of a candidate in the elections. Officers should have the interests of the membership in mind when declaring support for a candidate.Incumbent Sabbatical Officers wishing to support and actively campaign for another candidate must declare this and take leave or time off in lieu to do so for the duration of the voting period. Officers may take leave before the voting period for campaigning purposes, but this must be taken from the time Officers wish to start actively campaigning until the close of voting.Incumbent Sabbatical Officers wishing to support and actively campaign for another candidate must not campaign during or outside of working hours unless leave or time off in lieu has been taken.Incumbent Sabbatical Officers wishing to declare support for a candidate but who do not wish to actively campaign for that candidate do not have to take leave, but they must not actively campaign for the candidate. It is advisable, to protect both Officers and the candidates they support, for an Officer to take leave if they wish to support a candidate in the elections for the duration of the voting period.All complaints about this process not being adhered to will be taken very seriously and investigated. This could affect the candidate(s) position in the election. If you have any questions about the process, or elections in general, please contact Lisa Burton at l.burton@bcu.ac.ukANYQUESTIONS?Contact the deputy returningofficer Lisa Burton: l.burton@mmu.ac.ukCandidate You Are SupportingPositionReason for Support:By signing this form you are confirming that you have the interests of the membership in mind when declaring support for a candidate.Officer Signature: _________________________ Date: _______________ ................
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