Rules for this year's student election.
Rules

All candidates and campaign teams should read the Election Rules, Referendum Rules, and Bylaws.

The rules are interpreted by the Elections Committee regularly during the elections period.

Candidates should check this page and their email addresses for changes.

This page was last updated on 4 March, 2022

The election rules have been approved by the Returning Officer. The staff team and Deputy Returning Officers will be responsible for the administration of the Elections, including rules violations and complaints. Final appeals will be heard by Returning Officer, Scott Quinn.

The Elections Committee is responsible for ensuring all candidates adhere to these rules. Any questions, concerns, or suspected rule infringements should be sent to the committee via [email protected].

The Elections Committee will be available from 9am-5pm via email during the elections period.

See candidates for this year's rule infringements.

Recent Rule Updates

Date Type Section Change
15 March 2022 Major Addition Addendum (Referendum Rules) Added Addendum to Rules on Referendum.
4 March 2022 Major Amendment 5.3 (Campaigning- Eligibility) Prohibits non-students from campaigning. Only current, matriculated students who have not opted out of membership with the Students' Association may campaign for a candidate or ballot issue.
4 March 2022 Addition 5.8 (Campaigning- Give Aways) Prohibits candidates from selling or reselling items as a part of a campaign.
24 Feb 2022 Amendment 4.5 (Budget) Clarification that budgets must be submitted no later than one week after voting closes.
24 Feb 2022 Addition 6.4 (Publicity) Prohibits the usage of flyers, leaflets, and other small printed materials.
15 Feb 2022 General Update All Election Rules posted. (See banner above).
15 Feb 2022 General Update All Posted 2022 Elections Bylaws. (Current Association Laws on the "Policies" page have not been updated due to administrative constraints. The Bylaws passed and approved by the Students' Association Board GNS Committee have instead been uploaded to this webpage while the longer bylaws can be updated.)
Elections Committee

The Elections Committee consists of a Returning Officer, two Deputy Returning Officers, and several Union employees.:

The Elections Committee is comprised only of Students' Association Employees, none of whom may vote or stand in the election.

Returning Officer Rulings (2022)

Date of Ruling and Link Summary of Ruling
22 Feb 2022 Delegating oversight of the vote count.
22 Feb 2022 Delegating responsibility for reviewing and approving elections expenditures.
22 Feb 2022 Delgating approval of nominations.
15 Feb 2022 Delegating rule setting on candidate expenditures limits.
04 Feb 2022 Declaring Election dates and voting platform for 2022 General Elections.

FAQs

Can I campaign in person?

Yes. Candidates must comply with all Scottish/UK Government, and University Rules regrading coronavirus safety, but are permitted to engage with students face-to-face in the elections.

Can I print posters or hand out physical materials?

Candidates may not hand out printed materials to campaign. This includes (but is not limited to) flyers, leaflets, and business cards. This prohibition is made to encourage sustainability and creative campaigning.

Can I create my social media before campaigning begins?

If it can be kept private, yes. For example, unpublished Facebook pages and private YouTube videos are fine, since no one else can see them. Twitter and Instagram accounts cannot be made completely hidden, so we ask that candidates only create these pages once campaigning begins.

Can a candidate support another candidate?

Anyone can support any candidate from their personal accounts. However, a campaign page cannot support another candidate. Candidates may not campaign as a slate.

Who can be on my campaign team?

Only ordinary, life, and honorary members of the Students’ Association are allowed to campaign for any candidate. (All matriculated students are automatically ordinary members unless they have opted out.)

Staff at both the Union and the University of St Andrews are not allowed to campaign. Students who also work for the Union or University can campaign only when off duty.

No subcommittees of the Students’ Association, affiliated societies, student groups, or Athletic Union clubs may endorse any candidate using any official website, social media page, mailing list, or general meeting.