As members of the Students’ Guild, all society members have the right to voice their opinion on annual elections. This applies to all society committee members, including any involved in running an election (though some may prefer to stay impartial). That means that they can:

• Endorse candidates
• Talk about their policies
• Give justifiable criticism

All members, including the committee and candidates, are expected to adhere to the following conduct policies. It is the individual's responsibility to report a policy breach to the Activities Team in the first instance. 

Committee Conduct Policy 

In running an election, all committee members agree to uphold the following conduct policy:

1. Annual elections must be run during the allotted time frame provided by the Guild. Nomination or voting activity must occur within the predetermined timeframes. This includes not releasing election results before the date approved by the Activities Team. 

2. Nominations and voting must take place via the provided online election system. Committee members cannot collect nominations or votes outside of this system. 

3. That all voters must be free to cast their vote without undue influence or pressure from candidates, committee members, group members or other external influences. It is the committee's responsibility to enforce this rule and report any breach to the Activities Team. 

4. Committee members will conduct themselves in accordance with the Guild's Code of Conduct (hyperlinked).

5. Committee members must not use society resources to endorse or renounce any individual candidates. Resources include the Student Leaders Portal, society social media, and online platforms (including, but not limited to, WhatsApp groups and Instagram accounts). This includes previous committee members re-running for committee positions for the next academic year. 

6. Committee members are responsible for reporting any candidate engaging in any negative campaigning that is factually incorrect and/or causes harm or damage to other candidates or committee members to the Activities Team. 

7. Committee members are expected to contact the Activities Team in the first instance if they would like to raise a complaint relating to an election.

Please note! Current committee members remain in their roles until the end of Term 3 of the Academic Year. You must continue fulfilling all responsibilities during this period, including:

   * Conducting a thorough handover with newly elected members

   * Completing the group's next Annual Risk Assessment 

Please note that the newly elected committee will informally join the existing academic year committee from April 27th, 2026, and officially start on August 1st, 2026.  

Candidate Conduct Policy 

Election candidates are expected to uphold the following conduct policy when running for the committee. By nominating themselves as an election candidate, individuals have agreed to uphold the following Candidate Conduct Policy:

1. Candidates will not engage in negative campaigning that is factually incorrect and/or causes harm or damage to other candidates or committee members. If candidates are proven to be engaging in negative campaigning, they will be removed from the election.

2. Candidates will conduct themselves in accordance with the Guild's Code of Conduct (hyperlinked). This code outlines the following expectations of candidates:

3. Candidates are responsible for staying informed and up-to-date with notifications from the Guild concerning society elections. They are required to read all communications from the Guild or Societies concerning elections. 

4. Candidates will contact the Activities Team in the first instance if they would like to raise a complaint relating to an election.

5. In nominating themselves for a committee position, candidates understand the commitments and responsibilities associated with the role they are running for and agree to fulfil these requirements to the best of their abilities if successful. 

Complaints

If a society committee believes a candidate has behaved inappropriately during an election, or has concerns about how the election was run, the group/individual should raise these concerns with the Activities Team before taking any action. 

If you have any questions about this guidance, or if a society/student group member believes an election was not conducted fairly, please get in touch with the Activities Team at activities@exeterguild.com.