Part-Time Officers (PTO) are voluntary roles, which include Liberation Officers, Faculty Officers and our Postgraduate Officer. Each PTO represents a specific group of students, and it is their responsibility to promote the interests of that group. They are key student decision makers within the Union and ensure that as a Union we are student led.

In order to be eligible to contest one of the roles you must be eligible at the point of election and for the remainder of the 2025/26 academic year.

In order to be eligible to vote or stand for a Liberation Officer you must be a Student Member of the Union and self-define as a part of the Liberation Group that the position represents.

In order to be eligible to vote or stand for a Faculty Officer or Rep roles, you must be a Student Member of the Union and a part of the Faculty that the position represents.

In order to be eligible to vote or stand for the Postgraduate Officer role you must be a Student Member of the Union and must be engaged in Postgraduate Taught or Postgraduate Research studies.

Candidates can only contest one Part-Time Officer position. Candidates running for a faculty officer position should note that the faculty rep roles are filled based on who came second or third in the election for that role.

Part-Time Officer roles are all voluntary so the there is no formal time commitment, but expect to spend between 1-5 hours per week on the role. Depending on the role you apply for there will be different meeting commitments that you’ll be expected to attend, such as the Executive Committee, Student Summit and other university meetings.

Being a Part-Time Officer is an incredible opportunity for you to shape SUBU and BU by having a direct say in how SUBU is run. It’s also a great developmental opportunity for you where you’ll learn transferable skills that’ll look great on your CV, as well as being fantastic for developing networks and improving your confidence!

Part-Time Officers have a full induction programme to help them learn about the Union and their role, this includes ongoing training throughout the year. You will also work very closely with other SUBU Officers and Staff who will help them achieve their goals.

A pledge is how candidates sell themselves to voters; it sets out their aims and priorities and may also include a little bit about themselves and why they are the best person for the job. Pledge’s become candidates promises to students about what they want to achieve if they are elected so it is important that they are realistic and achievable.

Candidates are asked to submit a 100-word pledge during their nomination.

In the context of elections, campaigning is what candidates do to get votes - it's not just handing out leaflets though! Successful candidates take time to listen and speak to students, find out about the current issues relevant to the role they're standing for and persuade voters with ideas and enthusiasm. Don’t worry if this all sounds a bit daunting because all candidates have to attend a briefing where we’ll provide some tips and tricks.

There are regulations surrounding campaigning behaviour. Candidates must not supply or handle voters devices.

To find out more information please read the election regulations

Once applications open, simply fill out the online form at the top of this page.

Voting will take place online via the SUBU website. SUBU uses the Single Transferable Vote (STV) and Alternative Vote (AV) system which provides voters with much more choice and influence. STV/AV means that candidates do not need to win a majority, but instead must reach a quota/proportion of the vote. The quota is determined by the number of votes cast and the number of positions to be filled. For roles where there is only one position available the quota is half the total number of votes cast + 1. When voting students select their candidates in order of preference and are able to vote for as many or as few as they like. When the voting has closed, Candidates are excluded if it is impossible for them to reach the quota, their votes are then transferred in order of preference, this ensures that fewer votes are wasted.

If you have any questions, or want to have an informal chat about the election, drop us an email at subudemocracy@bournemouth.ac.uk