All candidates and campaign teams should read the Election Rules 2021, and the Covid-19 Election Guidelines.

The rules are interpreted and amended by the Elections Committee at 5pm daily during the elections period.

Candidates should check this page regularly for changes.

The election rules have been approved by the SRC, SAF, and Elections Committee.

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 SAelect@.

The Elections Committee will be available from 10am-5pm via email during the elections period.

See candidates for this year's rule infringements.

Recent rule updates

Date	Type	Section	Change
26th Feb 2021	Clarification	5.1 Time period	Instagram: Please do not make Instagram accounts until the start of campaigning as they cannot be made fully private.
26th Feb 2021	Clarification	6.1 Budgeting Compliance	Software subscriptions reimbursement: You must declare the use of paid software used to create campaign material. You should declare a month’s subscription or the smallest possible time period for which you can purchase the software. This should be added to your budget and will be reimbursed in line with the reimbursement rules.
26th Feb 2021	Clarification	6.5 Required Elements	Posters: We encourage all candidates to use the dates of voting on their posters but this is not mandatory as the posters are not printed.
26th Feb 2021	Clarification	6.10 Negative Campaigning	Challenging claims made by candidates: Candidates and campaign teams are permitted to constructively criticise and challenge claims made by another candidate. However, candidates and campaign teams must not engage in personal attacks or criticisms of a person’s character.
26th Jan 2021	Ammendment	3.1, 5.11 - 5.15	There is to be no in-person or physical campaigning or events. Please read the COVID guidance for more information.
3rd Mar 2020	New subrule	5.10 Personal attacks	Candidates are encouraged to share and debate ideas related to the positions up for election, using constructive criticism where relevant. No candidate may use a personal attack on any other candidate for any reason, or orchestrate one from another source.
3rd Mar 2020	Clarification	5.21 Joint campaigning	Candidates may have multiple facebook frames on their personal facebook profile pictures.
27th Feb 2020	Minor amendment	2.1 Eligibility	Any individual can run for any position listed above, as long as they: Are a matriculated student at the University of St Andrews for the full term of the position. Are an ordinary member of the Students’ Association for the full term of the position.
1st Feb 2020	Amendment	5.16 Online campaigning	Campaigns must not use anonymous Facebook pages (e.g. St Andrews Crushes).
1st Feb 2020	Advice	N/A	We have been made aware of issues relating to political Facebook adverts. Without having the proper authorisation, you risk having any paid ads removed from Facebook, if they are identified as being political or linked to social issues. Any candidate planning to use paid ads should read more on Facebook's Business Help Centre.

Elections Committee

The Elections Committee consists of 21 students, all of whom remain neutral during elections:

Director of Wellbeing (Senior Elections Officer)
Association President
Director of Education
Director of Student Development and Activities
Director of Events and Services
Athletic Union President
3x SRC representatives
3x SAF representatives
Senior Academic Representative, Arts and Divinity
Senior Academic Representative, Science and Medicine
7x co-opted members

No individual may be on the Elections Committee if they are running as a candidate.

Four of the above committee members are appointed Deputy Elections Officers, to directly assist the Senior Elections Officer.

FAQs

Can I campaign in person?

No, due to the ongoing lockdown measures, no candidate or member of their campaign team can campaign in public amongst other people. This includes University/Union properties, private residences, and communal areas of town.

Candidates are encouraged to use social media platforms to campaign, as well as engage with student media sources.

Can I print posters or hand out physical materials?

Candidates cannot hand out physical materials to campaign. This includes (but is not limited to) stickers, posters, and baked goods.

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 accounts cannot be made completely hidden, so we ask that candidates only create Twitter 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.

Who can be on my campaign team?

Before campaigning begins, a candidate can have up to thirty individuals in their private campaign group. After campaigning begins, 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.