1. Candidates must read the Rules and sign that they have done so
2. Campaigning can only take place during the times specified by the election manager: 0900 1st March – 1600 12th March 2021.
3. Candidates must attend a candidates briefing, via Zoom, prior to the start of campaigning. If candidates do not attend a briefing they will be withdrawn from the election.
4. Due to the current covid-19 pandemic, there is to be no physical campaigning. Physical posters, leaflets and banners cannot be used during this campaign. The entire campaign must be conducted online. Online posters must be approved in advance of use by the Elections Manager.
5. Candidates must be able to prove they have taken reasonable steps to ensure that their supporter’s actions comply with the Election rules at all times.
6. Candidates may only move or remove their own campaign materials.
7. Abuse of any sort towards students, SU staff, other candidates and their campaign teams, could result in disqualification of the candidate.
8. All campaign materials must be approved by suelections@essex.ac.uk and candidates will be asked to remove any unapproved campaign material.
9. Any alterations that take place to promotional materials of any kind, after approval cannot be used until they are reapproved by the SU.
10. Candidates may only campaign for one position. They may nominate for a number of positions, but must have decided which role they will campaign for by the close of nominations. They must have selected one role and have withdrawn for all others by 22nd February 16:00.
11. No external campaigners are permitted (non-students).
12. Campaigners are not allowed to use any University or SU mailing lists to campaign.
13. Campaigners are not allowed to use the SU or University of Essex logos in their campaign materials.
14. Social media: Campaigners can use any existing social media groups, and events or contact lists, to promote their campaign, unless they are requested by the group owner to stop posting/remove posts. Candidates should be mindful of the reason the groups were formed and not spam them with unnecessary posts.
15. Bribes must not be offered as part of any campaign.
16. During campaigning, campaigners must wear the badges provided to identify themselves and who they are campaigning for. This includes any online campaigning.
17. No external campaigners are permitted (non-students).
18. Campaigners must not communicate with voters in any way once they have started to register their vote.
19. Candidates could be disqualified if they are found to have broken any of the Election rules.

All campaigners must adhere to the SU’s General Policy on any Students’ Union or University of Essex premises.

1. Candidates must be a Student of the University of Essex and a member of the University of Essex Students’ Union.

1. Candidates must not exceed their budget limits.
   • SCO’s and Union Chair receive £10
   • Sabbatical officers receive £30
2. Candidates will be reimbursed by the Students’ Union for their campaign materials providing receipts have been handed into the SU by the 31st March 2021.

1. Slates are only allowed in relation to the Student Community Officer roles. Full time roles and Parliament representatives cannot run on a slate.

1. All complaints should be directed to the Elections Manager by email suelections@essex.ac.ukand must include evidence.
2. Verbal complaints will not be treated as official complaints.
3. Any complaints that are not resolved by the Election manager will be referred to the Deputy Returning Officer (Keith Rowland).
4. Any complaints not resolved by the Deputy Returning officer will be referred to the Returning officer (Gareth Ikin). Their decision is final.
5. All complaints will be resolved within the timeframe of the election (results will not be announced whilst there are any outstanding complaints).
6. When a complaint is submitted please include your name, the name of the candidate that the complaint is against, reasons for the complaint and any evidence to support the complaint. Any complaints submitted without any supporting evidence will not be investigated.
7. Any student or candidate that is judged to be making an unsubstantiated complaint will be dealt with, in accordance with the SU’s General policy.

Under GDPR, images containing yourself as an individual where you are the primary focus of the image are considered personal data – this could be self-submitted alongside your submission, or an image taken by our staff around campaigning, voting, and results night. Images of you as a candidate during the campaign period and during the overall Leadership Race period will be used in future promotional materials by the University of Essex Students’ Union (“Essex SU”).

By submitting yourself as a candidate for the Students’ Union Leadership Race you are acknowledging Essex SU’s use of your personal data for this purpose. Our Privacy Notice details your rights as a data subject, and outlines what Essex SU will use your personal data for.

Further to this, some of our Student Community Officer roles also relate to a more sensitive level of person data. These are:

• Students with Disabilities Officer
• LGBQ+ Officer
• Trans Officer
• Women’s Officer
• Black Officer
• Asian Officer
• People of Colour

These roles identify something about you as a candidate that is considered ‘special category data’ – namely, physical health, mental health, sexuality, and ethnicity. By submitting yourself as a candidate, you are acknowledging that you are putting this information about yourself into the public domain, and that Essex SU will use your personal data (in the form of your image) for promotional uses in the future, and may do so in specific relation to the role you are running for.

By submitting yourself as a candidate, you explicitly consent to the processing of this special category data for the purposes and by the means outlined above. Once again, our Privacy Notice details your rights as a data subject, and outlines what Essex SU will use your personal data for.