Group elections procedure
Eligibility
Only full Group members can stand in the elections for their respective Groups:
To stand for election in the Disabled Students Group (DSG) you must be a
registered member and current student in accordance with the OU Students
Association articles of association;
To stand for election in OU Pride, you must be a registered member and current
student in accordance with the OU Students Association articles of association;
To stand for election in the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Group you
must be a registered member and current student in accordance with the OU
Students Association articles of association.
Candidates must not have been expelled from their respective Group or from Association
membership nor should they have a disciplinary ruling against them.
Please be aware that we will carry out eligibility checks on all candidates as per our
Volunteer Policy and these election rules. It is an offence under Section 60(1)b of the
Charities Act 2011 to knowingly or recklessly provide false or misleading information.
If you have any queries relating to your eligibility to stand for election, please contact us
at oustudents-support@open.ac.uk.
Group Specific Eligibility
OU Pride
Chair and Vice-Chair are required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service Check.
Candidates standing for the position of Chair and Vice-Chair must be eligible to stand for
the role based on the Charity Commission’s disqualification criteria for serving in a
Charity Senior Positions. Please be aware that we will carry out eligibility checks on all
candidates for these positions and successful candidates will be required to sign the
Charity Commission’s declaration of eligibility and responsibility.
Disabled Students Group
All officer roles (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Events Officer and Comms Officer) are
required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service Check.
Candidates standing for the position of Chair and Vice-Chair must be eligible to stand for
the role based on the Charity Commission’s disqualification criteria for serving in a
Charity Senior Positions. Please be aware that we will carry out eligibility checks on all
candidates for these positions and successful candidates will be required to sign the
Charity Commission’s declaration of eligibility and responsibility.
Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Students Group
Chair and Vice-Chair are required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service Check.
Candidates standing for the position of Chair and Vice-Chair must be eligible to stand for
the role based on the Charity Commission’s disqualification criteria for serving in a
Charity Senior Positions. Please be aware that we will carry out eligibility checks on all
candidates for these positions and successful candidates will be required to sign the
Charity Commission’s declaration of eligibility and responsibility.
General
Each Group has an election every two years in the late Autumn/early Winter (where
possible); the successful candidates are in post for a two year term.
Ideally, Elections are run between October and December, with a handover period
between previous and new post holders in January. However, timescales may differ
depending on operational constraints. We may extend or shorten terms upon
agreement with Committee members and in this case, elections would run at a
different time.
Should a vacancy arise in any of the Groups in the remainder of the term, the Group
shall seek volunteers from the membership to fill a position and the remaining
Committee will be asked to co-opt a candidate to the vacancy.
The OU Students Association’s Head of Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Student
Welfare is the Returning Officer for all Group elections and is supported by the rest
of the staff Team. If you need to contact a member of the team, please contact us
at oustudents-support@open.ac.uk.
Following a comprehensive review of our student-led Groups in 2022, we made
adjustments to our recruitment process to ensure a more efficient and inclusive
approach. Whilst previously, at the beginning of each term, all Group committee
members were elected by Group members, going forward we will only call elections
for the Chair position. The rest of the committee will be appointed in a subsequent
round of recruitment, straight after the elected Chair is announced.
Timetables
Each Group has an election every two years, the successful candidates being in role for a
two year term.
Timetables for upcoming election periods will be shared on the website.
Nominating Yourself
The Returning Officer shall announce the start of an election process by emailing a
Group’s membership with the details of the upcoming election. This information will also
be posted on the Group’s respective micro-site or webpage on www.oustudents.com.
The membership will be invited to nominate themselves to any of the vacant positions
using the relevant online form, links to which will be shared with the membership whose
Elections are taking place.
Candidates are able to self-nominate and do not require supporting nominators.
Candidates will be required to confirm their eligibility and detail how they fulfil the
requirements of the role.
Instead of a traditional 'manifesto' Candidates will answer 3 questions which Group
members have told us are the most important for them:
1. What does Equality, Diversity and Inclusion mean to you?
2. Why would you like to stand for this volunteer role?
3. What skills and experiences would you bring to the committee of this Group?
Assocation staff will be publishing full answers up to the end of the word limit, unedited.
Candidates should be reminded to check their word limits as well as spelling and
grammar, before submitting their nomination.
Once a candidate has submitted their nomination form, they are free to announce their
candidacy and begin their election campaign.
Campaigning
We ask that candidates keep three key principles in mind when campaigning:
Be Fair: Don’t break the rules. Don’t pressurise voters. Only do what others have an
equal opportunity to do. Keep in mind the 7 Nolan principles of public life which are
a good framework for how you should seek to act during and after the process.
Have Respect: Campaign positively. Treat others with respect.
Be Positive: Enjoy it, get creative and think positively about the opportunity that lies
ahead and why you want to do it. Your enthusiasm will rub off on voters.
Campaigning Rules
It is up to candidates to help promote their candidacy for the elections. Get creative, use
the means available to you to let other students know that you’re standing and why they
should vote for you. Make use of social media and your Group’s allotted election
discussion forums in order to campaign and to engage with voters and answer their
questions.
As part of their campaign, all candidates must only do what all other candidates have
had the equal opportunity to do. For example, candidates cannot make use of personal
connections or funding, commercial relationships or resources available to them by way
of their position to gain an advantage over other candidates.
Anyone who currently holds a role within their Group may continue to act in that capacity
during the process, however they should not discuss their candidature during the pursuit
of their official duties.
Candidates must be fair and have respect to all other candidates (and voters) involved in
the process. They must refrain from running or encouraging negative and personal
campaigns. Debate is encouraged and so this does not prevent candidates or voters
from critiquing other manifestos or campaign ideas, but comments should be kept to the
detail and not the person, offering alternative opinions and ideas in a positive manner.
Candidates will be held responsible for the actions taken by others on their behalf.
Any external media coverage of the elections, candidates or submitted by candidates
must be explicitly approved by the Returning Officer prior to publication.
Candidates must respect that every Group member has the right to vote confidentially
and freely. Candidates must not help members during the process of voting, assistance
will be available through the Returning Officer and their team.
Candidates and their campaigns cannot be wholly endorsed or wholly dismissed by a
decision or official representative of the OU Students Associations Student Leadership
Team, Board of Trustees, Subsidiary of the Association, Association staff team or
advisor, Open University staff, Society or Group, Commercial or Political organisation.
Candidates cannot form group slates or joint campaigns with other candidates
regardless of roles sought. Candidates should not endorse or reject other candidates for
different roles as part of their campaign.
Candidates must not spam voters or official Group or Association websites or media
channels. Campaigning does mean a degree of self-promotion and messaging which will
be tolerated, but candidates should be mindful not to go overboard with such activities.
Candidates must allow other candidates the opportunity to campaign and not attempt to
block or interfere with such activity. Candidates should not block, alter or re-interpret
official communications from the Groups during the election process.
Candidates must obey relevant laws and University codes of practice and generally act in
a manner with the decency befitting the role they are running for. Voters are also
reminded to behave responsibly and fairly during the period in line with the OU Students
Association anti-bullying and harassment procedures and other applicable codes.
Candidates and voters must be respectful of each other, current Group Committee
members or Association Student Leadership Team, Trustees, Association staff,
University staff and the reputation of both the Association and the University generally.
The Returning Officer reserves the right to deal with any other inappropriate behaviour in
line with the spirit of these rules.
Withdrawing as a Candidate
A candidate can withdraw at any time throughout the election process. This can be done
by emailing the Returning Officer at oustudents-support@open.ac.uk. So that the
Returning Officer can help make improvements to the election process - please include
as much information as you’re comfortable sharing.
Voting
For the avoidance of doubt, candidates are also able to vote.
Details of how to cast a vote will be sent via email to all members of the Groups who are
eligible to vote in the elections when voting opens.
Results
Results will be posted on the respective Group’s micro-site or webpage. An email to the
Group’s membership will be sent by the Returning Officer to announce that results are
available on the website.
Discipline, Moderation and Complaints
If you wish to raise a complaint or concern about the Elections you should do so by
emailing the Returning Officer at oustudents-support@open.ac.uk with ‘COMPLAINT’ in
the subject box.
You should expect an acknowledgement within 24 hours.
Any complaints about candidate conduct or the elections process should be raised in a
timely manner and no later than one hour after the close of voting.
All complaints must be substantiated with evidence and explicitly state which rule(s) has
been broken.
Action will be taken where complaints are upheld by the Returning Officer. Such action
could include:
Informal warning
Formal warning, which may also be published on our official channels
Candidate or voter asked to issue an apology or retraction, which may also be
published on our official channels
Percentage of votes/number of voters docked
Disqualification of a candidate or a voter
Referral of the matter to the Association's disciplinary procedures
Referral of the matter to the University's disciplinary procedures
Decisions by the Returning Officer are final and not subject to appeal. The Returning
Officer reserves the right to consider complaints as vexatious and may take action
accordingly.
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Charity number: 1183837/SC049546
Company number: 12031028
Address: PO Box 397, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6BE
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