Candidate Info

To run in the Student Leader Elections you must:

• Be a registered student of Queen's University Belfast for the current academic year and throughout the entire election period.
• Be sure that you are prepared to commit to the duties of the role if you are elected.
• Be a hard worker, dedicated and passionate about representing students.

Please note that Students of St. Mary's University College, Stranmillis University College, "INTO at Queen's" and students of other institutions who are studying at Queen's may not run or vote in these elections.

Take a look at the key dates and events below. Check back for more information on each event in Term 2.

Note: Sessions marked with an asterisk are for Full-Time Officer candidates only.*

Important Dates & Events

Completing Your Submission

Complete your Election Profile here by 5pm, Thursday 30 January 2025.

For your nomination to be successful, you must upload:

• Profile Photo: Use a clear, recognisable picture of yourself. It will appear on the online ballot and be visible to voters (We may update this photo later)
• 50-word slogan: Keep it brief—your best chance to convince students on the ballot!
• Manifesto: Share your ideas and plans. It will be published online for all students. See our tips for writing a great manifestohere
• Printed Promotional Materials (this is only for those standing for a full time role). 

TOP TIPS:

• Give yourself plenty of time to prepare, especially for Full-Time Officer roles - it can take longer than expected.
• Before the deadline, double-check your submission. Preview your uploads to ensure everything is correct. Remember, it’s your responsibility as a candidate to submit properly.

As part of your nomination for a full time Student Officer role, you will create a campaign poster.

The SU will print these for you once you have submitted your nomination.  

• A3 Posters (Colour) x 30
• A5 Flyers (Colour) x 1500
• A0 Posters (Colour) - These will be used internally by the SU for promotion.

If you don't think that you will use all the printed materials listed above, tell us and we will print fewer items for you. 

Don't forget to register for the Poster Design session for tips and tricks to help make your campaign poster the best it can be.  

Here are the specifications you must submit the artwork in:

You can submit your publicity materials: 

• Online: by sending them using the Queen's Dropoff service to su.voice@qub.ac.uk 

• In Person: by submitting them on a USB key to the Student Voice team (Level 2, SU Elmwood) by the deadline. You must email the SU Voice Voice team to schedule this submission. This must be arranged days in advance as there is no guarantee that a staff member will be available on a particular date/time to receive your submission. 

Elections Overview

Get creative, keep it respectful, have fun and stay within the rules.  This guide will help you build a brilliant campaign to make sure students vote for you. 

Before You Submit Your Nomination

1. Cover the basics: Take time to get an understanding of how the elections work, the rules and key elections dates and events.
2. Understand the Role: Each role has a different level of responsibility and time commitment. Choose one where you talents will be best utilised.
3. Research, Research, Research: It will help give you a clear idea of why students should vote for you.
• Speak to current students, Student Reps, Student Officers and SU Staff. 
• Study past campaigns, manifestos, and results (many social media campaigns and manifestos are still available online)
• Learn the issues affecting your target group
• Find out what Student Officers have done in the past and how you can do even better.
4. Attend Sessions Designed To Help Your Nomination.
5. Don’t miss the deadline!

After You Submit Your Nomination

1. Plan Ahead
• Prepare a 30 – 60 second speech outlining who you, why you are running and what you will do if elected – this will help you when you are speaking to students.
• Get canvassing online: You can start immediately. Most students have never voted in an election – all they need is for you to convince them!
• Take care of yourself: Elections can feel like a lengthy process: Make time for rest, eat well and finish any upcoming academic assessments you have due. Try to give yourself as much free time as you can during the Election days so you can encourage votes.

1. Organise your Campaign:
• Plan, plan, plan: Most successful election candidates win because they have prepared – they know which groups of students they are going to seek votes from and plan what they are going to do for each day of voting. 
• Enlist help from friends for managing posters, flyers and online activity so you can focus on speaking to students.
• Keep your key points and flyers on hand for quick sharing – you never know when a canvassing opportunity will present itself.
• Anticipate tough questions: There will always be people who challenge your manifesto so prepare as much as possible.
• Consider collaborating with other candidates: you could jointly campaign with those running in different categories to you.
• If you are running for a Full-Time Officer position, ensure you prepare for the Candidate Debate.

Engaging Voters

1. Engage online and in-person—visibility is key. Personally talking to students is the most important thing you can do to get elected.
• Don’t be afraid to approach students (if they don’t know you, they won’t vote for you)
• Ask students to specifically vote for you. If they cannot commit to giving you a first preference vote, ask for a second preference—every vote matters! 
• Do lecture shout outs: Keep it brief (30–60 seconds) and get the lecturer’s permission. The best time is while the lecturer sets up their slides.
• Reach out to Clubs and Societies: See if they’ll support you or let you speak to members.
• Attend Events: Go to student events and parties to connect with as many people as possible.
• Engage Students in Accommodation: Target first-years who are likely to vote. Agree access with Queen’s Accommodation beforehand. “Queen’s Accommodation” includes Elms BT1, Elms BT2, Elms BT9 and Queen’s Houses.
2. Leverage your networks: Enlist friends, class mates and Clubs and Societies to support you and share with their networks. Get friends and classmates to personally ask people in their network to vote for you.
3. Stay positive, respectful, and approachable (even if you disagree with someone). You want voters to think well of you!
4. Focus on Key Issues: Talk about topics that matter to students to win their support.
5. Get people to commit to vote for you. If you can get lots of students to commit before voting opens, you have made a great start!
6. Most importantly, enjoy the experience! You’ll learn loads, meet new people and have fun.