Who can run for a position in the SUBU Elections?

Any current student at Bournemouth University can run for the roles of SU President, VP Education, VP Student Opportunities and VP Welfare & Community.

To run for the Part-Time Officer roles (Asian, Arab & Ethnic Minority Officer, Black Students’ Officer, Disabilities, Accessibility & Neuro-Diverse Officer, LGBTQ+ Officer, Trans, Non-Binary and Gender Identity + Officer, and Women’s Officer), you must be self-defined as part of the relevant SUBU community. You can self-define here.

Only Postgraduate students can run for the role of Postgraduate Officer.

For the Faculty Officer roles, student can only run for the role which is relevant to their own faculty. For example, Business & Law students are only eligible to run for the Business & Law Officer role.

You must be opted into the Students’ Union to run for any of the Officer roles. Please contact subudemocracy@bournemouth.ac.uk if you are unsure if you are opted in.

When will the role start?

If elected, you will spend one year in your Officer position from July 2026 – July 2027.

What’s the different between a Full-Time and Part-Time Officer position?

Full-Time Officers work in a paid role at SUBU for one year. If your course won’t be finished by July 2026, you’ll need to take a year out and return to your studies once your year as an Officer ends – think of it as a placement!

Part-Time Officers volunteer alongside their degree, so there’s no need for you to pause your studies.

Can I run for more than one position?

You can only run for and hold one SUBU Officer position at a time.

What position should I run for?

It’s totally up to you! You can run for whatever position you feel best suits you and the issues that are most important to you.

You can read the full job descriptions for each role here.

How do I put myself forward?

You can submit your application to run as a SUBU Officer here. You will need to log into the SUBU website to complete the form.

You will need to submit:

• Your name as you would like it to appear throughout the Elections
• Your student number
• Your BU student email address
• A photo
• Your written pledge

What happens after I submit my application?

You will be contacted by a member of the SUBU Elections Team, who will chat through your eligibility for the role.

We will then invite you to a compulsory candidate briefing, where we’ll go over all the rules of the Election and help you get set up for campaign.

You’ll receive all the information you need via email, so make sure you check any junk or spam folders!

What is a pledge?

Every candidate will be asked to submit a pledge. These will help students decide who to vote for.

You may want to include the changes that you’d like to make within SUBU or BU, the issues you’re passionate about, what experience you’ll bring to the role and the impact you’ll have on students.

We’d recommend reading SUBU’s strategy before writing your pledge. This will help you align your goals with SUBU’s priorities and demonstrate how your ideas support the direction of the organisation. [link]

You will be asked to submit a full pledge (maximum 300 words) and a shortened version (50 words) for printed publications.

Your pledge must be submitted by DATE AND TIME.

What is Campaigning?

You will campaign for students’ votes in the SUBU Officer Elections. The winners will then be elected into their roles for the next academic year.

Don’t worry – you won’t be left to campaign on your own! We will provide advice and tips for all candidates on how to run your own campaign.

You will not be able to campaign until DATE. You must also attend a compulsory candidate briefing, where we'll go over the rules to make sure everyone understands what they can and cannot do during the campaigning period.

What are the rules around campaigning?

The full set of rules for the SUBU Elections can be found here.

We want to ensure the SUBU Elections are fun, free and fair for all candidates, campaigners and students. We’ll go over all these rules during the compulsory candidate briefing so that everyone understands what they can and cannot do.

If you’re unsure about any aspect of the Election rules, feel free to get in touch with subudemocracy@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Who can vote in the SUBU Elections?

All current Bournemouth University students can vote in the Elections. You must be opted into the Students’ Union.

Please contact subudemocracy@bournemouth.ac.uk if you are unsure if you are opted in.

How do I vote?

Voting will open from Monday 9 – Thursday 12 March.

From 10am – 4pm, you can vote at our polling stations on both Talbot and Lansdowne campus each day. From 4pm – 8pm, you can log in and vote via the SUBU website.

Voting will close at 4pm on the Thursday.

How does voting work?

SUBU uses a preferential voting system called Single Transferable Vote (STV). It’s designed to give you more choice and influence when electing your Officers.

You will rank the candidates in order of preference. Put 1 next to your first choice, 2 next to your second choice, and so on… You can rank as many or as few candidates as you like.

Candidates will need to reach a quota (set number of votes) to be elected – the quota will depend on how many votes have been case and how many positions are available.

If a candidate can’t reach the quota, they’re eliminated and their votes move to the next preference on those ballots. This continues until all positions are filled.

Who should I vote for?

That’s completely up to you!

The best way to decide is to read each candidates pledges and think about which ones match the issues, interests and changes you care about most. You can then make an informed choice about who you feel would represent you.

How do I know who has won?

We will be hosting a Results Night on Friday 13 March at 6pm at Dylan’s Kitchen & Bar, Talbot Campus, where we will be announcing the result.

Results will also be announced on the SUBU website, via email and across social media.