Student Leadership Elections 2026: What You Need to Know

Every year, we run elections for all student groups, giving you the chance to stand for committee roles. These elections make sure our student groups stay democratic, fair, and representative.

This year, student group elections will run alongside our sabbatical officer elections, which is a little earlier than usual. Taking part is mandatory for all student groups, so it’s important that you know what’s happening and how to get involved. Let’s break it down.

What are the elections?

Student Leadership Elections give students the opportunity to:

• Nominate themselves for leadership positions within the Students’ Union
• Vote for the candidates they want to represent them

These elections include our paid, full-time sabbatical officer roles, but importantly for you, they also include all student group committee roles.

Elections are your chance to have your voice heard and to choose who represents your interests within the Students’ Union, the University, and the wider community.

How do elections apply to student groups?

All student groups are automatically included in the elections. Every committee role listed in your group’s constitution will be put up for election. All members with a paid standard membership are eligible to stand or vote.

Important: To run for a position or vote, you must have purchased a standard membership to your group; this includes current committee members.

To run for a committee role, you must also be a student during the 2026/27 academic year and remain a student up to 30 June 2027.

When nominating yourself or voting, you’ll only see the student groups that you are a member of.

To keep voting fair, no student group memberships will be sold during the campaigning and voting period. This prevents memberships being purchased solely to influence election results.

Key dates and what’s happening

How do I nominate myself for a committee role?

You’ll be able to submit your nomination through our dedicated elections website, which you can find here.

Running for a role: what’s expected?

If you’re running for a position, there is an official campaigning period:

• Starts: Monday 9 March, 11:00
• Ends: Thursday 19 March, 11:00

During this time, you may campaign both online and in person, as long as you follow the RSU Election Rules & Regulations. No campaigning is allowed before this period, but you can talk informally about your candidacy with friends and other students before campaigning officially begins.

You’ll also be able to submit a manifesto via the elections website, sharing your ideas and plans, as long as they align with the Students’ Union’s values

Important: If you’re running for a committee role, you must attend a candidate briefing, which will explain the election rules and answer any questions.

Endorsing candidates

Student groups cannot endorse candidates running for student group committee positions.

For sabbatical officer roles, student groups may endorse candidates, as long as all candidates are given the same opportunity to engage with your members

Dormancy

It’s important to be aware that if no one runs for any of the three core committee roles, President, Secretary, and Treasurer, your student group will go dormant. This means the group will not be able to operate during the 2026/27 academic year, unless it is successfully revived at a later date.

If some, but not all, of the core committee roles are filled, your group will not go dormant. Instead, you’ll be given the opportunity to fill any vacant core roles at a later point.

To keep your group active, we strongly encourage members to consider standing for these key positions.