A Students’ Union is led by student leaders, for the benefit of all students.

 

As such, elections are the cornerstone of everything we do.

 

Whether it’s running for one of our full-time officer positions in our annual March Elections, or trying your hand at one of our Voluntary Officer Positions elected in March and October of each year, running for student office has been a lifechanging experience for many students over the years.

 

 

Am I eligible to run in the Students’ Union elections?

 

First and foremost, you must be a current Edge Hill student.

 

If you’re planning on running for a full-time position, as long as you’re enrolled on an Edge Hill course at the point of self-nomination, you are eligible to stand.

 

For our Volunteer Officer positions, you must ensure that you will be an Edge Hill student during the period in office you are running for (for October Elections, October-June; for March Elections, July-June).

 

Be aware! If you are running for a volunteer officer in our March Elections, you must ensure that you will still be an Edge Hill student the following academic year. Final year students are therefore ineligible to run for voluntary officer positions in our March elections. They can, however, run for a full-time officer position.

 

Certain roles may require you to self-identify as parts of the Edge Hill community. For example, to be eligible for our Women’s Officer position, you must self-identify as a woman.

 

If you believe you are eligible for any of our future elections and would like to be the first to receive new information, updates, and invitations to workshops, you can now register your interest throughout the year!

 

 

What it Means to be a Fit and Proper Candidate

 

Running for student office is a huge responsibility, and even if you are fully eligible for one of our positions, we ask all of our candidates to consider whether they meet the core principles of those who take up public office.

 

Before nominating yourself or registering your interest, consider the following:

 

• Selflessness: Are you able to act solely in the interest of Edge Hill’s student body during your time in office?
   
• Integrity: Can you avoid being influenced by people or organisations whose motives are not the betterment of students’ lives and experiences? Will you avoid taking decisions that only benefit you, whether materially, financially, or other?
   
• Objectivity: Can you act and take decisions impartially, fairly, and on merit, without discrimination or bias?
   
• Accountability: Are you willing to be accountable to Edge Hill students for your decisions and actions?
   
• Openness: Will you take decisions in an open and transparent manner?
   
• Honesty: Fundamentally, will you behave in a truthful way?
   
• Leadership: Can you exhibit these principles in your own behaviour, and have you done so in the past. Do you feel qualified to promote and support the above principles, and are you in a position to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs?

 

Find out more about the core competencies for running for public office by reading about the Nolan Principles of Public Life.

 

If, having read the above, you are still interested in running for one of our roles, register your interest today.