Below you'll find a list of frequently asked questions about Union Officer elections. Please read this list and the election rules before contacting us at surreydecides@surrey.ac.uk with your question, as you may find the answer here or in the rules here!

Information for Prospective Candidates

What roles are available?

Find out about all our available roles here, and find out about your current officers and their typical activities.

Am I eligible to run in Surrey Decides?

You should check the elections rules to see if you are eligible to run in the election.

If you are unsure if you are eligible to run in the election, please contact surreydecides@surrey.ac.uk as soon as possible!

How do I nominate myself for Surrey Decides?

Nominations for the election will open Monday 2 February 09:00, and close on Wednesday 11 February at 17:00. You will need to read and agree to the election rules which can be read here.

Information for Current Candidates

How do I improve my chances of being elected?

Contact the existing officers currently doing the role you are running for, as this will help you understand more about what is involved
Submit a manifesto, ballot photo and ballot name to help voters know who you are
Campaign for votes within the rules around campaigning
Read information about the election that we will send to you via email
Attend Question Time to tell everyone why they should vote for you (compulsory)
Regularly check student email and Microsoft Teams for Surrey Decides information

What training is available to candidates?

There is a compulsory briefing which takes place on 18:30 Thursday 12 February online on Microsoft Teams and will also be viewable as a recording after the briefing.
There is optional candidate training which takes place 13:00-16:00 Saturday 14 February in person, in 03 DK 02.

What support is available?

You can contact the elections team at surreydecides@surrey.ac.uk with your questions and we will respond as soon as we can.
If your question is regarding the election rules, the Deputy Returning Officer will get back to you.
Union officers and staff are available to meet with you to discuss your ideas and to share information with you about what it’s like to be an officer in the Union.
We will provide a candidate briefing (compulsory).
You will have access to training materials and templates for your manifesto.
We will be in regular contact over the election period with anything you need to know.

Where can I find the election rules?

You can find the rules for the election here.

When and where is Question Time taking place?

Question Time will be taking place in Rubix on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 February from 18:00. As a candidate, it's compulsory to participate so that students are able to vote with a full understanding of all candidates' campaigns and manifestos.

What will I be asked at Question Time and how can I prepare for this?

Question Time is your opportunity to tell the audience watching in person and online why they should vote for you. You can watch back last year's Bye-election Question Time here as an example of what to expect from the evening.

You can prepare by:

Meet with the current Officer in the role or a member of Union staff in the Zone you are running for to get an understanding of the current issues or priorities impacting that Zone (you can find contact details for Officers and Union staff here)

Think about why you want to win and the experience/personal qualities you would bring to the role.

The first question to all candidates will be "In 30 seconds, introduce yourself and why you are running". Prepare your answer! Rehearse, write something out, and time yourself, as that'll help you feel confident for the first answer you give.

All candidates should be prepared to answer questions about your manifesto. Think about how and why you want to achieve your manifesto goals.

Practical advice:

Get good sleep the night before

Ask some friends to join the event

Remember that QT is your chance to show off your campaign, and try and use every answer as a chance to do that!

On the evening of the event, check in with the Voice Zone team when you arrive so you have the up to date information you need and feel prepared.

Listen to the announcements from the Chair about which debate is coming up next. When your role is up next, make sure you're ready!

The elections team will be present in the call if you have any questions on the night

Each year, all our surveyed candidates say they were so pleased that they took part- it’s a fantastic opportunity to promote yourself to voters, practice your public speaking, and try something new.

Information for Voters

What do I do if I believe a candidate has broken the election rules?

Any suspected rule break should be reported with as much detail and evidence as possible to support your complaint using our complaints form. Please do not contact existing officers or staff to report rule breaks, only use the official elections complaint form. If you have any issues accessing the form, please contact surreydecides@surrey.ac.uk. You should review the rules before submitting a complaint as you will need to cite which rule has been broken.

When and how can people vote in the election?

Voting is online via our Elections Portal and will open in the evening after the final debate of Question Time on Tuesday 24 February and and remains open until 19:00 Saturday 28 February.

Voting is done by ‘single transferable vote’ (STV). This means that students rank their candidates in order of preference for each election, putting a 1 next to their first choice and a 2 next to their second choice etc. You can find a video explaining the STV process here - Example STV election – YouTube

When and where are the results of the election announced?

Results are announced via our social media @surreyunion on Instagram from 20:00 onwards on Saturday 28 February.

Frequently Asked Questions