Aston Students' Union is a democratic membership organisation. This means that it exists to serve its members (which are Aston students), and that members (also Aston students!) are elected to run it.

Every year, 5 Sabbatical Officers and 8 Voluntary Officers are elected to lead the organisation. If you're an Aston student and you want to make a difference to the lives of other Aston students, then becoming an Officer might be for you!

If you're an Aston student, then almost definitely. You must have opted in to Aston Students' Union membership - although if you haven't, or are unsure, you can check on opt in on MAP. There is no charge to be a member of Aston Students' Union.

For the Full-Time, or Sabbatical roles (President, VP Education, VP Welfare, VP Student Activities, VP Communities), you must be prepared to undertake a year's full-time, paid work in the Students' Union. Students often do this as a Placement role, or in the year immediately after graduating, although theoretically any student can get involved.

As with most elections, to be elected, you'll have to get the highest number of votes! All Aston Students' Union members will be able to submit their vote electronically. The voting system used is called Alternative Voting - you can learn about it here. During that week, you'll try to get as many students as possible to vote for you.

There are a few things you'll need to do - firstly, you'll need to think about which role you'd be best suited for. Read through the Officer Roles if you're still unsure.

Then you'll need to create a manifesto to show potential voters why you'd be the best candidate to vote for. This can be text-based, or a visual manifesto (made on Publisher, Photoshop, GIMP, Canva, or a similar programme) - or you can submit both. If you don't submit a manifesto, your nomination will be removed from the election.

After the nomination period has closed, you must attend a training session; check the schedule above for details. You'll also need to get your photo taken by the Students' Union's Marketing team. If you don't get a photo taken, your nomination will be removed from the election.

The election rules apply to all candidates and anyone who campaigns for a candidate. Read through the SU Election Rules 2024 here.

If you have any questions about the election rules, please feel free to contact SU Voice staff at union.voice@aston.ac.uk

If you believe you have witnessed a breach of the election rules, please email details and any evidence you may have to the Deputy Returning Officer for the election at union.returningofficer@aston.ac.uk

Find a copy of SU Candidate Elections Training here.