candidate guide 2012

Candidate

Information

Guide

Building a better future for students

Candidate Information Guide 2012

ContentsWhat is this guide about? 4

Benefits of Office 7

What are the five roles up for election? 8

What do I need to know to be successful in the elections? 17

Support available 20

Issues 23

Endorsements 24

Campaigning 24

Campaigning Checklist 27

Voting and Results Night 28

Candidates Checklist 29

Appendix One: Writing your manifesto 33

Appendix Two: How does the voting system work? 35

Appendix Three: Candidates Allowance Record 38

Appendix Four: Campaigning effectively at the Medway 40 Campus

Appendix Five: Trustee Declaration 41


What is this guide about?Kent Union is led by five elected students known as Sabbatical Officers or Presidents. This guide explains how you put yourself forward to become one of these elected students. We’re guessing that you’ll probably want to know a bit about what you’re letting yourself in for before standing for election so we’ll start by explaining some of what the role will entail.

As part of your role as a Sabbatical Officer you’ll be a member of the Trustee Board.

The Trustee Board members are responsible for the work and direction of Kent Union. The Board comprises of:

The five Sabbatical Officers

Two elected Student Trustees

Two student trustees appointed by the Trustee Board, known as appointed Student Trustees

Four external trustees who are selected for their experience and knowledge

I am the face of 19,664

students


The Trustee Board directs every aspect of Kent Union, identifying students’ needs then taking action to meet those needs.

The five full time Sabbatical Officers represent the student voice at the University, listening to students’ views and acting upon them.

If this sounds at all daunting, remember you will not be working on your own. You’ll be part of a Sabbatical Officer team with direct support from Kent Union’s Chief Executive and many, many other staff members. Here at Kent Union we expect you to look a bit bewildered during the first couple of weeks, we’d be worried if you didn’t! We’re experts in ensuring you achieve all your goals as a Sabbatical Officer and leave Kent Union with a wealth of experience that most students can only dream of. How many students do you know that leave University having been the Director of an organisation which turns over £10,000,000 a year? That’s right, none.

By becoming a leader of Kent Union you’ll be working full time to defend and extend the rights of students at the University. You’ll be the voice and the face of the organisation, representing nearly 20,000 fellow students. You’ll also be making the biggest decisions at one of the UK’s biggest Students’ Unions.

As one of Kent Union’s Sabbatical Officers you will work as part of a team to:

Lead the organisation

Be a trustee of Kent Union

Make decisions about the future of Kent Union

Engage with and represent the student body


Attend AGM, Union Council, Zone and Forum meetings as required

Sit on various University Committees

Represent the organisation and our students to other organisations such as the NUS and Local Councils

What did last year’s sabbatical officers achieve?

The government’s review of higher education and their plans to increase tuition fees dominated Kent Union’s campaigning for 2010/11. The sabbatical officers launched a high profile campaign in response, taking 500 students to protest in London and collecting over 2,500 students’ signatures for petitions given to local MP’s. The officers also led a number of other campaigns including ‘The Lock’ which highlighted safety issues, ‘Right to Rent’ which tackled student accommodation issues, ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ which successfully lobbied university departments to give feedback back to students in a more timely manner and ‘Get on Board’ which achieved later bus services to and from campus.The sabbatical officer team were also responsible for the implementation of the new Kent Union strategic plan and a review of Kent Union’s democratic structures, which has resulted in the four democracy zones being created.


Benefits of OfficeThis is a paid role and you’ll receive an annual allowance of circa £18,000. We will provide you with a comprehensive training programme to help you carry out your role.

You will develop advanced skills in:

Leadership

Lobbying

Campaigning

Communication

Planning

Problem Solving

Presentation

Public Speaking

Motivating others

Empowering volunteers

Budgets

Networking You will be one of approximately 700 students across the country who have gained these skills as a sabbatical officer. More than 300,000 students leave University with an undergraduate degree each year, the experience you gain as a sabbatical officer will ensure that you stand out from the crowd.


What are the five roles up for election?PresidentThe President is the figurehead of Kent Union. You will be the key representative to the University and to external organisations. You will ensure that Kent Union is valued by its members as an inclusive, effective and accountable organisation. You will chair the Trustee Board and sit on the University Council and Senate as well as attending other University committees.

Some of the things you could do:

Be the chief spokesperson and figurehead of the Union

Be a full and active member of the University Committee structure

Champion Kent Union’s values of being Democratic, Outstanding, Inclusive, Responsible and Professional

Coordinate campaigns that make a positive impact on students’ lives

Work with the College Presidents on delivering their objectives

Lead Your Community zone meetings and work with the Your Community zone committee to implement policy

Co-ordinate the activities of the Kent Union Chief Executive and the permanent staff

Co-ordinate the work of the Sabbatical Trustees


I support our Advice

Centre which helps

over 5000 students

a year

Liaise with the National Union of Students

Oversee the finances of the Union

Ensure that actions from the democracy Zones are carried out and that progress is fed back

Support non-traditional student groups on having their voice heard

Take the lead in promoting the Union elections before nominations open

Be the sabbatical officer who champions University of Kent students at the Medway campus

Be responsible for the development and training of the Union officers

Be responsible for the Union’s long term planning


A week in the life of the President

As President you can go from meeting to meeting and travel across the country all in the space of a day let alone a week.

You are never bored as there are always projects to be working on or contributing to.

The University invites the President to sit on many committees that discuss the student experience and quality of education that students receive; alongside the meetings you will be given papers to read that will prepare you in advance of the topics that will be discussed. The beauty of the role is that is it so varied, you can be working on your manifesto pledges one minute and then be getting on a train to London for an event. You will work closely with the other sabbatical officers on Kent Union Campaigns and projects and will receive ongoing support from the senior managers.

On a weekly basis you will come into contact with at least one senior manager from the University ranging from the Vice Chancellor to the Deans; use this time wisely to ensure that the membership’s opinions are put across fairly and correctly.

Being President has opened many doors for my future employment; some of the opportunities that I have been a part of or will be going on to do have happened due to my experience in leading a 10 million pound organisation.’

My new job was certainly awarded to me from my previous role as President, due to my knowledge of the University sector and skills that I learnt from Kent Union.

Helen Wood – Kent Union President 2009-2011


Vice President ActivitiesThe Vice President Activities is responsible for coordinating and supporting Kent Union’s societies. You will act as budget holder, advocate, point of contact and champion of student societies’ achievements. You will be a Director of Canterbury Youth Student Media, the limited company which owns CSR FM. You will also lead on events run by Kent Union and support events run by the university.


Work with societies to ensure they receive fair budgets

Lead Your Union Zone meetings and work with the Your Union Zone Committee to implement policy

Recognise the hard work of students in societies at the Kent Union awards

Coordinate the SOCFED Committee

Support non-traditional student groups and ensure their voices are heard

Work with the other sabbatical officers to mount campaigns on issues affecting students

Take the lead in promoting the Kent Union elections

Champion and support the work of CSR and Inquire

Represent students on University Committees

Ensure that actions from the Democracy Zones are carried out and that progress is fed back


Vice President EducationThe Vice President Education defends the academic rights of students across the University. You’ll be responsible for coordinating Kent Union’s position on all matters educational and will push for the improvement of the learning experience at the University of Kent.


Support and empower approximately 350 course, school and faculty reps

Lead Your Education Zone meetings and work with the Your Education Zone committee to implement policy

Lead Education Forum meetings

Attend Union Council meetings

Work with other Education officers to exchange best practice on campaigning and lobbying

Create awareness and change campaigns

Champion the positive impact that lecturers have made for students through the Teaching Awards

Coordinate Kent Union’s representation of students to the University of Kent through meetings, one to one advice, evidence gathering, lobbying and campaigning

Support non-traditional student groups

Take the lead in promoting the Union elections before nominations open


I look afterover 300

reps



Vice President SportsThe Vice President Sports is responsible for coordinating Kent Union’s sports clubs. You’ll be responsible for making sure the sports clubs are well operated and accessible to all students. You will be the key contact for over 50 sports clubs and will champion their successes.


Work with the sports clubs to ensure they receive fair budgets

Lead Your Union Zone meetings and work with the Your Union Zone Committee to implement policy

Champion of the hard work and successes of sports clubs

Celebrate the sporting successes of students at Colours’ Ball


Recognise the hard work of students at the Kent Union Awards

Champion the KSCV Award for all sports club committee members

Coordinate the Sports Federation Executive Committee


Work with the other sabbatical officers on campaigns




Work closely with the Sports Centre in supporting clubs and their development

Coordinate Varsity matches

I look after more than 40 sports

clubs


Vice President WelfareThe Vice President promotes diversity and equality across the University. You will defend the rights and needs of students and push for positive change to enhance students’ welfare through their time at University.

Some of the things you could do: Lead Your Rights Zone meetings and work with the Your Rights Zone Committee to implement policy

Attend Union Council meetings

Liaise with Welfare Officers from other Students’ Unions in order to exchange best practice on campaigning and lobbying

Champion the rights of students as tenants

Create awareness and change campaigns

Champion the various welfare needs of students to the University of Kent through meetings, evidence gathering, lobbying and campaigning

Come up with and lead new & exciting ventures or projects for Kent Union to implement

Work with Kent Union’s advice centre on key issues and trends affecting students

Ensure students are well represented in the community and work to better community relations


Work with the NUS on both local and national welfare issues


Meet and liaise with the staff members responsible for delivering the University’s student support services to ensure students are receiving a high standard of service

Work with the other sabbatical officers to mount campaigns on issues affecting students




What do I do next?You will need to complete an online nomination form at www.kentunion.co.uk/elections. You will also be able to find out more details about the elections at this website. The deadline for nominations is the 16th February 2012 at 5pm.

If you would like a bit more information before submitting your nomination form, why not speak to one of the students currently doing the role you’re interested in? Give them or a member of the Elections Team a call on 01227 824200 or [email protected]


What do I need to know to be successful in the elections?Please note that this information should be read in conjunction with the Election Regulations 2012. The Election Regulations have been updated notably since the previous sabbatical officer elections so please do make sure you familiarise yourself with them. They can be found at www.kentunion.co.uk/elections

1. Complete the Nomination Form

This form represents the first step towards being elected. Be sure to fill it in properly and to submit it online in time (Thursday 16 February 2012 5pm) at www.kentunion.co.uk/elections

2. Produce your publicity

Publicity

A successful election campaign needs effective publicity to encourage people to vote for you. There will be training available to help you with the creation of your publicity.

For Sabbatical Officer Elections you will need to provide the following:

A 100 word statement for Inquire Newspaper - Candidates must submit their 100 word statement in Microsoft Word and a photo as a separate attachment to Reception in the


Mandela Building by 1pm on 17th February. They must provide the files of text and photo on a USB stick and provide a print out of their statement and a passport sized photo. Failure to provide it in this format will mean their submission will be rejected and there will be no submissions accepted after the deadline. Each candidate will be issued with a receipt if they choose to submit this piece of publicity.

A video manifesto – If you do not have access to a video camera you will be given an opportunity to book a time slot to shoot a video with a Kent Union camera. If filming with a Kent Union camera we will use a static camera angle and will film you against a blank background. You will be given two attempts to film this. If you are making the video yourself you are free film in any locations and from any angles you wish. All videos must be no longer than 2 minutes. To get some ideas search youtube.com for other sabbatical officer election/manifesto videos. The Kent Union filming time slots will be on the 20th February 9am- 5pm.

A manifesto for the Guide to Candidates booklet - Each candidate is given a space of 87mm wide by 120mm long which can contain text and images. The booklet will be printed in full colour. This must be received by 20th February midday. Text included in your submission must be font size 12 or over. This must be handed in to the Mandela reception as both a printed paper copy and on a USB stick. It will not be accepted in any other format and it is entirely the candidate’s responsibility to get this in the required format by the deadline. Your paper copy will be included in the candidates’ booklet exactly as it appears


on the paper copy you submit to the Mandela reception.

3. Spending money on your campaign

All candidates in the Sabbatical Officer elections will be given an allowance of £30 to spend on their campaign that they can claim back from Kent Union. Candidates can then spend £30 of their own money on their campaign. All expenses for your campaign must be accounted for and you must return all receipts (see appendix 3) by 4pm Friday 2nd March to the Mandela reception. Failure to do so could result in you being disqualified from the election.

4. Meetings

Candidates Meetings –There will be a mandatory Candidates Briefing at 5pm on the 16 February, the day nominations close. At this meeting conduct for the elections will be discussed, you will be invited to take part in a Candidates video question time and take part in Vote Match. Vote Match is a system which asks voters in an election a series of questions to gauge their

I look after more than 150

societies


opinions on various policies, it then matches the voter to the candidate with the most similar views to their own. At this meeting Vote Match staff will ask all candidates the same questions as will be asked to voters, this is how voters are then matched to candidates. In other students’ union elections where Vote Match was used nearly 50% of voters used the system.

During the voting period there will be a compulsory meeting every weekday morning at 8.30AM between the candidates (or a nominated representative) and the Deputy Returning Officer.

The meeting will discuss the conduct of the election so far, notify the candidates of any complaints or issues surrounding their conduct and seek to resolve them through consensus.

Support AvailableBecause the majority of candidates will not have run in elections before we provide several training sessions to offer support and guidance in giving you the best chance of winning your election campaign. All the sessions we put on are geared towards candidates running for these specific five positions and it is highly recommended that you attend all the sessions even if you have ran for a part-time position previously.

Successful CampaigningThis session will run twice on Friday 17th February. There will be an afternoon session from 1pm-4.30pm and then the session will be repeated from 6pm-9.30pm. The afternoon sessions will be in RS4, RS6 and R.C1.17 (Rutherford College). The evening sessions will be in W1-SR2, W1-SR4


and W1-SR5 (Woolf College). You will be directed to the correct room on arrival.

This session is aimed at providing candidates with some practical skills to support them in their campaign. We’ll cover public speaking, one to one canvassing and how to run a great campaign in general.We will provide a guide of great and not so good publicity. You’ll then be given the opportunity to get an overview of the key issues and find out more about each of the roles from both current sabbatical officers and Kent Union staff.

When you have won your election -Sabbatical Officer Induction Day 9am-5pmFriday 11th May 2012

At this session you’ll have a general introduction to your new role as one of the five leaders of Kent Union. You’ll have a session on the current issues facing Kent Union, a history of the organisation, an explanation of our strategy and operating plan as well as an introduction to the Universities at Medway that you also represent. This training will be held at the Medway campus.

Sabbatical Officer Handover25th – 29th of June

Over this week you’ll shadow the person currently in your position. You’ll be introduced to key members of University staff, Kent Union members of staff who will help you deliver your priorities for the year and find out from your soon-to-be


predecessor what the key issues are and get their advice and guidance.

Team Building in Wickhambreaux29th June – 6th of July

You will spend a week in Wickhambreaux with the Chief Executive and external trainers where you’ll get to know the rest of the sabbatical officer team and plan what you want to achieve over the year. You’ll discuss the issues that most affect students, learn more about your role and come up with ways of making relevant and lasting changes for the students you represent.

Other Key Events once elected:

Trustee Board meetings: 17 May (in attendance), 18 August, 22 November, 2013 meetings TBC

Welcome Week

Kent Union Awards

Summer Ball

Annual General meeting

Union Council meetings

Democracy Zones meetings

Universities at Medway Boat Race


IssuesWe outline some of the issues that are currently affecting Kent Union. The current sabbatical officers have been dealing with all of these since taking up office, and some of these issues may still be on the table when the new team takes over.

Developing democratic structures at Medway – Kent Union is working with the current Part-Time Officer Team in Medway to develop the representation they receive as Kent Students. Part of this includes working with them on developing where they envisage Medway Democracy and Representation will be in 3-4 years.

Sports Review – Kent Union is currently reviewing the way it manages and funds sport clubs to ensure the best possible deal for students. This will include who kit is tendered to and developing a new behaviours policy for student groups.

Looking after the Canterbury Housing Accreditation scheme- Kent Union will be looking after the Canterbury Housing Accreditation scheme which recommends off campus housing to students studying at Kent. This will be a new service that Kent Union offers and will require the support of whoever takes on the Vice President Welfare role for the academic year 2012/13.

Feedback on assessments and examinations-After consultation with a number of students, Kent Union has investigated ways in which feedback can be improved for assessments and examinations. A number of recommendations


have already come out of the first phase of the report which focused on assessments. The second phase of the report explores the specific feedback students want on examinations. The results and subsequent recommendations will be published before the summer of 2012.

Endorsements for your campaignYou cannot be endorsed by any part of Kent Union’s democratic structures i.e. student committees, socfed, zone committees etc. Sports clubs and societies can however endorse candidates but this must be a fair process and still within the election rules.

CampaigningCampaigning MUST NOT commence until the 24th of

February 2012 at 1pm This means no flyers, posters, items of clothing associated

to a candidate’s campaign or other means of written publicity can be displayed before this time. Please note that conversations are not included in this definition of

campaigning and communication via electronic means is deemed as conversation NOT written material and therefore

is permitted e.g. conversations on Facebook or emails to friends (but not using mailing lists).

At the candidates meeting the following information will be discussed:

The rules and regulations for campaigning and expected conduct of candidates and their campaign teams


The complaints procedure

The publicity budgets

Results night procedures

Candidates pages on the website

Candidates Online Question Time

Candidate Hustings

Vote match

Candidates Page - Each candidate will be given a page on the website where the Kent Union Elections Team will upload information for you which supports your campaign. You can share this unique website link on facebook, emails, twitter etc. You will need to submit any material to [email protected] and we aim to put information up on the website within 24 hours. The order of which candidates will appear on the Candidates Page will be decided by position (starting with President and then alphabetically going through the Vice President roles) and the order of names for each position will be randomly selected by the Deputy Returning Officer. You will be given one opportunity to have your page edited after your initial submission.

Candidates Online Question Time- All Candidates running for one of the positions will be asked three questions and given thirty seconds to answer each question. Your answers will be posted on the Kent Union Website. You will have no prior knowledge of the three questions that will be asked however you may submit questions to [email protected] by the 16th February 5pm. All candidates running for a specific position will be asked the same three questions. Candidates


may not edit the video footage of the answers or have a second attempt to answer a question, however they will be given the opportunity to have their answers removed from the website. The filming for this will take place at the Candidates Meeting on the 16th of February at 5pm. There will be no additional opportunities to answer questions.

Candidate Hustings- There will be two candidate hustings (an opportunity to give a speech to and answer questions from potential voters). On Wednesday 22nd February at 1pm there will be a hustings at the Medway campus. On Friday 24th February at 6pm you’re invited to attend a hustings at The Attic. At hustings anyone in the room can submit questions to the Deputy Returning Officer who will then pick out questions to ask candidates. Candidates will also be given up to two minutes to deliver a speech at hustings.

Vote Match- at the Candidates Meeting you’ll have the opportunity to answer a number of questions based around your ideology and plans if you were to be elected. Students will then have the opportunity to answer the same set of questions to see which candidate matches their ideology. The Candidates meeting is your only opportunity to answer the Vote Match questions, if you miss this meeting you will not be included in the Vote Match scheme.


Campaigning ChecklistAlthough the way you choose to campaign is up to you, here is a useful checklist to ensure you’re not forgetting any of the basic elements required to run a successful campaign. Please remember to check the election rules if you are unsure about the legality of any area of your campaign.

Have you… Completed

Got an election team together to help you campaignPlanned out when you’re going to door knock accommodation on campus (please note as long as you are not handing out any physical materials you may start doing this as soon as you wish to)Got laptops ready to get students to vote on around campusWorked out when key events are on around campus to attend and promote your campaignCreated your manifesto and general publicityObserved campus to see where people tend to be in order to catch as many of them as possible during voting weekBooked yourself space in University buildings to promote yourself and get people votingThought about getting votes from those who may not attend typical Union hotspots – e.g Woolf Foyer to speak to PostgraduatesTested your campaign and speech out on friendsCome up with example questions that you may be asked at the Candidates Online Question time and the hustingsAsked students what the general issues are on campus (without campaigning) before writing your manifesto


Voting and Results NightYou can vote at any computer, on or off campus, using your University login through the Kent Union website www.kentunion.co.uk/elections from 1pm on the 24th February through to 5pm on the 2nd of March.

The results of the Election will be announced on Friday 2nd of March at the Venue Nightclub and posted online shortly afterwards.

For details of how the voting system works, see Appendix 2.


Candidates ChecklistVenues for sessions will be confirmed nearer to the time and posted on the elections website. If you are in any doubt about where a session/event is being held please email [email protected].

Milestone Date and TimeNominations Open 12 December 2011 9amNominations Close (make sure you nominate yourself before the cut-off point!)

16 February 2012 5pm

Your Online Manifesto deadline 16 February 2012 5pmCandidates Meeting 16 February 2012 5pmRules 16 February 2012 5pmVote Match 16 February 2012 5pmCandidates Online Question Time 16 February 2012 5pmInquire 100 Word Deadline (to be submitted to Mandela Reception)

17th February 2012 1pm

Successful Campaigning Training Session

17th February 2012 1pm-4.30pm or 6pm-9.30pm

Video Manifestos Drop in Day (you will be given the opportunity to book a slot at the Candidates Meeting)

20th February 2012 9am-5pm

Candidates Guide manifesto submis-sion deadline (this must be handed in to Mandela Reception)

20th February 2012 12pm Midday

Compulsory Candidate Meeting 24th February, 27th February – 2nd March 8.30am, Mandela Meeting Room


Medway Candidate Hustings (you’ll have up to two minutes for your speech and answer ques-tions from the floor)

22nd February 2012 1pm in Coopers Bar

Campaigning starts! You can now hand out all your publicity!

24th February 1pm

Canterbury Candidate Hustings (you’ll have up to two minutes for your speech and answer ques-tions from the floor)

24th February 2012 6pm in The Attic

Voting Begins 24th February 2012 1pmCandidates Allowance Record submission deadline

2nd March 2012 4pm

Trustee Decleration form signed and returned to Mandela Recep-tion (failure to submit this may result in disqualification)

2nd March 2012 5pm

Voting Ends 2nd March 2012 5pmResults Night 2nd March 2012 from 8pm in The

Venue


Please

continue onto

appendixes

Appendix One: Writing your manifestoYour manifesto is going to be crucial in explaining to voters why you are the best person for the position.

What could you consider when writing your manifesto?

The two major areas to think about are content and design.

Content 1. Consider what would make you vote for someone. What do you believe in? Would you like more student society groups? Better accommodation on campus? Quicker turnaround on es says coming back to you from tutors?

2. Select three key beliefs which are important to you and you believe could be important to students. Then write out how you would solve or highlight awareness on these issues whilst being concise and to the point.

3. Makesureyourpointsareachievable.It’sfinetobeambitiousbutofferingfreeentrytothe Venue all year will result in other candidates pointing out that if this promise were ever to be carried out the Venue would lose money and close before the end of the semester.

4. Think of snappy headlines for the manifesto points you are going to put forward. Voters will be given a multitude of manifestos by various candidates throughout the election so make sure yours stands out. For example if you were going to put forward a manifesto pledge of getting essay and exam feedback back to students in a more timely manner you might use a head line of Quicker Essay and Exam feedback. You might then decide to post your manifestos andposterswiththispledgenearschoolofficeswherestudentswhoweresubmittingorre ceiving feedback may notice your election pledge.

5. Tell people who you are! This should be obvious but does get overlooked. Some areas to consider including: • Whatyoustudy • Whereyoucomefrom • Age,race,gender,sexualityetc.asyouseefit. • AnycurrentKentUnioninvolvemente.g,participationinaclub,courserep,college committee etc. • Involvementinpoliticalactivities,collegesorgroups

6. Attheendofyourmanifestothankpeopleforreadinganddirectthemtothevotingpageson the website. Include a contact email address for them to email you at and make sure you tell them to vote you ‘#1’ for whichever position you are running for.

Design 1. The design of your manifesto is important. There are plenty of options and you want it to look different from everyone else’s publicity.

2. You want to get produced as much publicity as possible for your money but make sure it’s effective!YoumightwanttogetloadsofA3postersanddoublesidedA5Manifestosorstick toA4singlesidedpostersandA5singlesidedmanifestos.Thecombinationisentirelyupto you.

3. Decideonwhetheryouwillhaveagimmick,themeortagline.Thereareplentyofdifferent options available to you. Some suggestions: • AcertainthemeforyourposterssuchasanAndyWarholdesign • AcartooncharactersuchasDangermouse • AsuperherosuchasSpidermanwhereyoutakeawebaroundcampuscatching different issues affecting students • Awell-knownfilmcharacterthatyoucouldusethetaglineofonyourposterse.g.The Godfather,“I’llmakeyouanofferyoucan’trefuse…” • Acertaincolourwhichyoucouldconsistentlykeepthroughyourwholecampaignin terms of what you wear and the colour of all your publicity • Aframewithyournameandthepositionyouarerunningforthatyougetstudentsto take a photo of themselves in and then post around Facebook • Ayoutubevideothatendsupgoingviral

4. You should make sure that your campaign is interactive and fun whilst remaining relevant. It’s a hard balance to achieve but test a few ideas out on trustworthy friends. We’ll also give you training on campaigning where we’ll cover some examples of great publicity.

Appendix Two: How does voting work?ForthefiverolesinthiselectionweusetheAlternativeVotingsystem.

Example Ballot Paper -

Gary Barlow 3Tulisa Contostavlos 1

Kelly Rowland 2Louis WalshRe-Open Nominations (RON) 4

This voter is thinking:

“I would like to see Tulisa elected, however, if she wasn’t elected I would then want Kelly to win. If both Tulisa and Kelly were eliminated from the election then I guess Gary would do an okay job. I definitely don’t want Louis winning as I don’t think he’s up to the job so I would then vote to re-open nominations (this means no one wins the election)” ThevotingsystemusedbyKentUnionallowseveryvotertohaveasecondchoiceiftheysowish(orthird,fourth,orasmanycandidatesareintheelection).Thishelpsavoidtacticalvoting,forexample–I’dlikeLouistowinbuthehasn’tgotachance,IthinkeitherTulisaorKellywillwinandalthoughshe’snotmyfavouritecandidateI’mgoingtovoteforKellyasheropinionsareclosertominethanTulisa’s.WiththeAlternativeVotingsystemyouratecandidatesinorderofpreference.If when the votes are counted any candidate has 50% plus one of all votes cast they will win the election. If no candidate reaches the quota of 50% plus one then the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated. Their ballot papers will then be recounted and the 2nd choice of each voter will be allocated to the remaining candidates. This process continues until one candidate reaches the quota of 50% of the votes cast plus one. This may sound a little confusing but it really isverysimpleonceyou’vegotyourheadaroundit,wealsothinkit’sfairerthanthe‘firstpastthepost’ system.

Example Election -5000 votes have been cast

Inordertoachievethequotaandwintheelectionacandidatemustachieve50%ofthetotalvote,plusone.Thereforethequotais2,501.

Gary Barlow 1000Tulisa Contostavlos 1300

Kelly Rowland 1500Louis Walsh 800Re-Open Nominations (RON) 400

Valid Votes Cast: 5000Quota: 2501

Atthispointnocandidatehasreachedthequotaof2501votes.Thecandidatewiththelowestnumber of votes is therefore eliminated which in this instance is ‘Re-Open Nominations.’ Their 400 votes are then distributed to next preferences of the voters.

Gary Barlow 1000 + 50 = 1050Tulisa Contostavlos 1300 + 200 = 1500

Kelly Rowland 1500 + 100 = 1600Louis Walsh 800 + 50 = 850Re-Open Nominations (RON) Eliminated


Asyoucanseenocandidatehasreachedtherequirednumberofvotestowin.Thereforewenoweliminate the candidate with the next lowest number of votes. This is Louis Walsh. His votes are then transferred to the voters next preferences.

Gary Barlow 1050 + 50 = 1100Tulisa Contostavlos 1500 + 500 = 2000

Kelly Rowland 1600 +300 = 1900Louis Walsh EliminatedRe-Open Nominations (RON) Eliminated


Atthispointthereisstillnowinneroftheelectionasnocandidatehasreachedtherequirednumberofvotes.HoweverTulisaContostavloshasovertakenKellyRowlandwhohadoriginallybeenleadingtheelection,thisgoestoshowthatwhoeveriswinninginthefirstroundofanelection is not necessarily going to be the winner.

AsthereisnooverallwinnerthecandidatewiththelowestnumberofvotesiseliminatedwhichisGary Barlow. His 1100 votes are then reallocated to the voters next expressed preference.

Gary Barlow EliminatedTulisa Contostavlos 2000 + 800 = 2800

Kelly Rowland 1900 + 300 = 2200Louis Walsh EliminatedRe-Open Nominations (RON) Eliminated


AtthispointTulisa Contostavlos is declared the winner as she has reached the quota of required votes in order to win the election.

Forthesakeofsimplicitywehaveassumedthateveryvoterhasgiveneachofthefivecandidatesin this election a voting preference. This is highly unlikely to be the case in your election. Therefore the same methods will be used in your elections but the quota will decrease in each round of the election. This is because as a candidate is eliminated the number of votes cast will decrease.

Forexample,inroundoneofanelection5000votesmaybecastwhichwillmeanthequotawillbe2501. The candidate with the lowest number of votes will be eliminated. If they had 400 votes cast forthem,butonly200ofthesevoteswerethentransferredtoothercandidatesthenthiswouldmean there were only 4800 valid votes cast for the next round of the election. This would result in the quota for this election being decreased to 2401.

Appendix Three: Candidates Allowance Record (Two pages)Candidates Allowance Record

NamePosition

ForcertainpositionsyouhaveanallowancefromKentUnionof£30thatyoucouldspendoncampaign materials. Please note these on this sheet as well as any additional items for your campaignwhichfallwithinanyadditionalspendinglimitssetoutintheElectionRegulations.

Usethisformtorecordallexpenditureyoumakeonitemsrelatingtoyourcampaign.

Example in italics.

Receipted item Final item CostA4 Red Card Poster £1.00

TOTAL

Attach all receipts to this form and hand it in to Melanie Sharman or Mandela Reception by 4pm on the 2nd of March 2012.

NIL returns ONLY may be emailed to [email protected]

Appendix Four: Campaigning effectively at the Medway CampusThisguidehasbeenproducedtoprovidecandidateswithinformationabouttheMedwayCampus,wheretofindKentStudentsandhowtogetaroundthecampus.

Don’t forget you can campaign at the Medway campus from 9am on the 22nd February 2012.

1. Buildings Thereareapproximately2,500KentStudentsstudyingontheMedwayCampus.The mainKentbuildingsinMedwayaretheMedway,RochesterandGillinghamBuildings on Campus and Bridgewarden’s and Liberty Quays which are off campus.

2. Cafe’s ThemainsocialspaceswhichareusedbyKentstudentsontheMedwayCampusare; CoopersBarintheJellicoeBuilding,theLibraryCafeinDrillHallLibrary(Please noteflyers/activecampaigningisnotallowedwithinthelibrary,conversationsinthe cafewillbeallowed),PilkingtonCafeinthePilkingtonBuildingandtheGulbenkian CafeintheRochesterBuilding.

3. Halls of residence ThereisonehallofresidenceforKentStudentscalledLibertyQuayswhichis approximately 10 minutes walk from the campus and is clearly signposted along the dualcarriageway.Around600studentsliveinthesehalls.

4. Husting’s in Coopers Wednesday 22nd February This hustings will be an informal event in Coopers. There will be a small stage and microphone set up over the busy lunch period. Each candidate will have 2 minutes to make their speech. Please note Coopers is a shared space and as such we cannot guaranteethatallstudentspresentwillbeKentUnionmembers.

5. Polling station TherewillbeapollingstationinthePilkingtonBuilding(thisissubjecttochange)on the Medway Campus at the following times – 27thFebruary;11am-3pm 29thFebruary;12pm-3pm 1stMarch;11am–3pm

6. Travelling to campus You can catch a train from Canterbury to Gillingham or Chatham train stations. If you drive to the campus you will not be able to park as it is permit only. You can however parkforfourhoursforfreeattheDocksideshoppingcentre;thiscanbeaccessedvia the roundabout outside the Medway Campus.

7. Distributing Flyers Pleaseensureyourflyersdonotendupontheflooroncampus,mostofthecafeswill be happy for you to leave them on tables – just don’t expect them to be there the next morning.

Appendix Five: Trustee Declaration(this must be submitted to Mandela Reception by 5pm on 2nd March)

Trustee Declaration

AllprospectiveTrusteesmustreadandsignthebelowdeclarationandreturnthecompletedandsigned form with their application.

I declare that:

1. I am over 18 years of age2. I have never been convicted of an offence involving dishonesty or deception that is not regarded as legally spent3. I am not an undischarged bankrupt4. IhaveneverbeenremovedfromofficeasacharitytrusteebyaCourtorbytheCharityCommission5. IhavenotbeendisqualifiedundertheCompanyDirectorsDisqualificationAct19866. I have not made compositions with my creditors from which I have not been discharged7. Iam,inthelightoftheabove,notdisqualifiedbytheCharitiesAct1993(Section72)fromacting as a charity trustee.

Signed: Date:

Name(pleaseprint):

candidate guide 2012

Documents