24 Feb 2016
Campaigning gets underway in Students’ Union Executive Elections 2016
Campaigning is underway in the annual Students’ Union elections. Eleven positions are up for grabs and the successful candidates will oversee the running of the Students’ Union on behalf of its student members for the academic year 2016/17.
Details of the candidates and their manifestos were revealed over a period of three days last week and official campaigning began on Sunday. The candidates have eight days to convince the student electorate that they are the best person for the role.
Voting will take place over three days from 9am on Monday 29 February. It will close at 4pm on Wednesday 2 March. The results will be announced at a live event to be held at the Union later that day.
A key event in the campaigning period will be the Bubble Debates. The debates, which will be broadcast live by LSU Media, will feature Question Time style sessions with the candidates. A panel will scrutinise the manifestos and grill the candidates. The audience, together with online viewers, will also get the opportunity to ask questions. The Bubble Debates will take place on Sunday 28 February from 1pm in Martin Hall.
A key feature of student elections is the Re-open Nominations (RON) ‘candidate’. This allows students to express their view that none of the candidates are up to the job. If the majority of votes go to RON, nominations for the position are re-opened to give the opportunity to stand to more candidates.
The student elections at Loughborough have a traditionally high turnout and last year more than 7,700 students voted, equating to a turnout of approximately 45%.
A dedicated elections website is available for staff and students to follow all the elections action. The website provides detailed information on the candidates and their manifestos alongside features and analysis from LSU Media, a live twitter feed (#EE2016) and the all-important link for voting.