Before opting out, please ensure you read our guidelines about the Online Elections and why they are the most democratic and simplest way of holding your elections. Running your election online has a range of benefits for your club members and committee:
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No administration for your committee - Opting out involves a lot of communication via email to all of your members, collecting information and submissions, organising the event, and ensuring you have valid evidence submitted on time (or your results will not be approved and you will have to join the online summer elections).
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Democracy - Running elections online creates the most democratic process for electing committee members, giving all members the chance to run for a position.
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Accessibility – we give all CSP members the chance to nominate themselves for a position and engage in voting for their committee, they will not be restricted to attending your AGM/EGM in order to have their voice heard.
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Hit the ground running – successfully elected students automatically get uploaded to eActivities with relevant permissions ready for the start of term.
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Get Ready - electing committee members during these elections mean they will receive a full on-boarding process with training opportunities to get a head start for next year, the onboarding newsletter will be launching on the 29th of March 2024.
New Hustings 2024 Process:
We understand the need to host in-person elections as they can be more engaging or fit with your memberships academic year, and we want to support you in this! To get the best of both worlds, during the voting week (Monday 11 March - Thursday 14 March) all CSPs electing their committees via the online elections will be able to host a hustings event in order to bring all nominees and voters together. Your members will be able to vote in person using eActivities, and any members unable to attend will still have the option of voting online. To organise a hustings event you will simply need to:
- Book a room, listing your event name as Hustings 2024.
- Tell your members via email (and any other channels - whatsapp, instagram etc)
- No need for an event proposal (must only involve gathering your members in a room, no food or drink needed). We now have extra College spaces available on Wednesdays after 1pm to host all your hustings events!
We understand that some groups have particular restrictions to do with elections and timelines and and therefore will still choose to opt out of online elections, please use this form to let us know the reason you require to opt out: Opt-Out Form 2024. The deadline to submit this form is 2pm on Friday 2nd of February. This form is now closed.
Please note that if your sole reason for opting out is to host in person elections we will refer you to the new Hustings 2024 process we have put in place.
If your Opt-Out Form application has been accepted:
Here we'll explain what you need to do next to successfully run your elections, elect your committee in a democratic way and let us know the details. What will this page cover?
- Our opt-out timeline and key dates to consider when planning your elections
- Guidance on what you need to do next - specifically the process of organising your election with an AGM checklist!
- How to run your AGM/EGM to elect your committee
- What you need to record as evidence for your offline elections
- How you let us know your elections have been a success!
- Popular FAQs to help answer your questions/queries
Timeline and Key Dates
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Opt-out of our online elections!
As a club, society or project wanting to run your elections offline, you need to let us know why you are planning to opt-out of our online elections.
You must opt-out of online elections by 5pm Friday 2nd February! Any CSP that has not opted out through out form will automatically be included in our CSP Spring Elections (online).
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You must run your elections during term time
As a club, society or project that has opted out of our online elections, there are some key dates and election rules you need to be aware of. Specifically, you can only hold your elections during imperial term times - no offline elections can be held during holiday periods.
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All offline elections must be completed with evidence submitted by Friday 24th May 2024
We have provided this timeline to be completed before the start of our Summer bi-elections. This is so we can update our eActivities records in time for the online elections and capture any unfilled positions through this online bi-election process.
This deadline is so we can guarantee next year committee details are processed through all the evidence submitted. This timeline allows all new committee members the opportunity to benefit from our officer training programme and on-boarding process.
What next... Organise your AGM/EGM and tell your members
See below our step-by-step guide to preparing your elections meeting and pre-requisites for hosting an offline election.
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Set a date & book a room
Find a date during term time before Friday 24th May 2024. As we've stated above, all elections must happen during term time before the deadline. This is to give all your members the chance to engage in your elections, whether they decide to run for a position or participate as a voting member.
Once you've found a date, find a space! You need to find a space viable and accessible to host your membership, here you can check all our bookable spaces and capacities.
Next, just follow our ad-hoc room booking process and request a room! Make sure you submit 10 working days in advance to your AGM.
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Save the date - email your members!
You have a responsibility to email your members and let them know your election plans!
Once you have a date, it is best to let your membership know ASAP to give them the best opportunity to attend and engage with your elections. In this communication, you should offer a way for members to nominate themselves for positions, offering information and support putting themselves forward.
To get an up to date membership mail list, just download the contacts from eActivities
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Appoint your offline election Returning Officer
Your Returning Officer (RO) is an appointed member of your CSP. This person is appointed to oversee the fair and equal delivery of your elections.
This person appointed must be unbiased towards the outcomes of the elections and act impartially throughout the process. They are able to collect votes & assist the committee with the running of your AGM.
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Organise your AGM
Once you have agreed the date with your committee, booked the room and invited your members - it's time to organise your AGM.
The main things to consider when organising your AGM is how you are going to collect nominations from members and collect votes. We encourage all groups to collect votes via an online form during the meeting to create an automatic voting record that can be attached to the evidence form.
All election results will need to be evidenced and sent to the activities team via the Offline Elections - Evidence Submission Form (coming soon).
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Run your AGM!
In your AGM, give your candidates an open, comfortable and accessible space to present their objectives/plans for next year.
Offer an online platform to your members & online voting process. You can collect votes both in-person and online. Please make sure you collect the voting record that represents your election results.
Remember! You must reach quoracy (50% of members must be in attendance) and you must vote by Single Transferable Vote. More information can be found here.
Evidencing your results
All clubs, societies or projects running offline elections must provide the union with adequate evidence on your AGM communication with members, voting record and voting results. Although we trust you to run your elections in a democratic, fair and inclusive way - we need to put in processes to make sure. We do this by asking for evidence after your AGM to be submitted through an online form.
Submit your Offline Elections - Evidence Submission Form (coming soon)
In this form, you need to collect the following:
- Your name, CSP and committee position (must be completed by principal committee member)
- Email evidence - you must attach a screenshot of your email to members, letting them know your AGM dates and plans
- A voting record - record of your member votes, either form screenshot with results or a unbiased record from your principal committee member
- Clear voting results - your future committee details!