This section should guide you through all you need to know about a Student Rep election, from how many reps to elect through to ways of running an election. Don't forget, if you'd like further guidance just ask The Students' Union Representation team.
Email: studentreps@uwe.ac.uk
UWE needs Student Reps for every level of study, on every programme of study.
We recommend that you elect one Student Rep for every 25-50 students.
We appreciate that as teaching staff you are very busy and that the thought of trying to organise an election to find your Student Reps may sound unachievable. In this guide, The Students’ Union have come up with a variety of different election methods, with a view that one of them will be suited to you and the needs of your cohort.
Electing Student Reps in a democratic and visible way means that students are more likely to engage with the process of student voice and representation and engage with their Student Reps as they feel involved in the decision and can begin potentially putting faces to names.
We ask Student Rep candidates to self-nominate, i.e. put themselves forward to be a Rep. This is often best done in a welcome lecture where you have students all in one place.
1. Online Elections
Who?
Could be used for all cohorts. Especially useful for large cohorts, cohorts that aren’t taught on campus, cohorts with a large proportion of part time students, cohorts that are currently on placement (whether sandwich year cohorts or just a cohort that has an early on in the year placement), cohorts taught remotely or distance learners.
What?
-Using data from self-nomination forms staff create a simple formstack or similar online voting form. To reduce workload and time needed it might be best for staff to use a digital version of the self-nomination so that they can copy and paste it into fields.
-The form needs to be set so that students can tick only x number of candidates, with x being the number of Student Reps needed.
-Students are then all emailed the link to this and vote by ticking those they wish to represent them. The link could also be promoted on social media.
-This data can then be tallied up very easily using either an excel export or the online system itself to give you your elected Student Reps.
Resource?
The internet and email, nomination form data, potentially excel if needed.
Pros
Cons
Anonymous
Quick result with no physical counting
Can be done from campus or home, in-class time or outside of it.
Evidence.
May have lower levels of engagement than a physical vote (see variations).
Easier for students to opt-out (see variations).
Variations
The online election could be done in class time if your cohort will be on campus and you have the time to do this. Engagement is likely to be higher with the process if you do, you could also introduce the candidates and they could even say a few brief words.
In addition to using formstack there are methods that could be done that mean an online election can also factor in the process of Single Transferable Voting, as used by The Students’ Union its main student election. We do not currently have the resource in The Students’ Union to facilitate this version of online election for staff teams, but we hope one day with more staff resource we may be able to as we recognise this would be a more democratic option.
This method may be best suited to smaller cohorts (as larger ones with more candidates may struggle to find time) and as it has to be done ‘in class’ is primarily for cohorts who study on campus.
- Students self-nominate using a self-nomination form prior to the election. Alternatively, students could self-nominate by raising their hand at the start of the election.
- The candidates then come up to the front to do a brief speech to the rest of the cohort. If they submitted a self-nomination form they can use this as a prompt.
- Ideally, candidates would be asked to leave the room when the vote takes place.
Resources?
Potentially none apart from time but see variations.
The cohort have a chance to put faces to names early on.
May build candidates' confidence.
Cohort may well vote on an ability to speak articulately, which is a key Student Rep skill we encourage.
Visible process.
Very interactive.
Could allow for Qs if there is time.
The cohort may forget who is who, especially if many candidates.
Students may vote incorrectly – no way to check if raised hand correct no. of times etc.
Some students may lack confidence to speak in front of cohort and not stand (see variations).
Students may not be there on the day but would have run (see variations).
Has to be done in ‘class time’ (see variations).
Candidates with less or no votes may feel.
For off-campus cohorts why not hold a video election using web conferencing and ask students to vote in the chat bar.
For candidates who are shyer or not able to be there on the day, a staff member could read out their manifesto.
If you have students who may benefit from this (such as members of the cohort with English as an additional language or students hard of hearing, manifestos could also or alternatively be provided in paper handouts or as PowerPoint slides. It might be beneficial to put pictures onto slides or have candidates stand at the front to put faces to names.
This works well for all cohorts that are campus based, but depending on staff time it may not be as easy to do for very large cohorts. Not suitable for distance learners and may be less suited to part time students.
The use of a ballot box or boxes.
Boxes, paper, pens (although students should have their own!), and staff time to do a physical count.
Fairly quick and easy for voters.
Some if not all of the activity can be done outside of class time, students could read manifestos in advance of voting time or whole vote could be done in a shared study space.
Evidence of democratic process (although not in a useful format).
Anonymous.
Potentially a lot of counting and maths involved (see variations).
Potentially resource heavy.
Less green.
Less visible.
Students may vote incorrectly.
Ballot boxes can be used in different ways.
-Version 1: Have one ballot box and give students a number of slips to write names onto and submit, the no. of slips = no. of Student Reps needed.
-Version 2: Have one ballot box and give students a form where they tick next to the candidates they wish to elect, no. of ticks = no. of Student Reps needed.
-Version 1: Have one ballot box and ask students to vote for one candidate they would like to represent them, ask candidates to make sure to vote for themselves as a formality so that you do not end up with not enough Student Reps! Top x scores become your x Student Reps.
-Version 4: Have a ballot box for each candidate, give students vote slips and ask them to put x number into the boxes.
As can giving the students the time to read candidates manifestos – you could stick them up near the box, too multiple boxes, or make them available in advance.
Any campus based cohort but best suited to smaller cohorts potentially.
The pinning up of candidates’ self-nomination forms/manifestos and by providing students with stickers the chance for them to vote by placing a sticker next to their preferred choices.
Printed paper self-nomination forms or manifestos, enough stickers for all of the cohort to have a sticker per Rep needed, blue tack/pins, a wall or noticeboard.
Visible system.
Could be done outside of class time, using a shared study space or relevant corridor and a noticeboard.
Can see at a glance how the vote is going, and if your students are participating in it! (Important if not done in class).
Potentially some counting and maths involved.
Students may vote incorrectly or not use their vote.
Only semi-anonymous.
Candidates with less or no votes may feel
Could be done with less resource by asking students to simply tick or star onto the papers, but the risk of voting incorrectly or trying to rig a vote is higher.
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