There have been changes to how all our societies will conduct their Annual Elections in 2026. Here are some frequently asked questions we know you may have about these changes. 

If your question is not answered in this article, please get in touch or come to one of our elections drop-ins (see the bottom of the article).

What are the new dates/deadlines?

Election setup closes on 31st January 2026. Committees that did not complete the Election Set-up form before the closing deadline will have their elections automatically set up based on the committee roles currently listed on their society account. 

Nominations: 9 am Monday 16th Feb  - 5 pm Friday 20th Feb (5 days)

Voting: 9 am Monday 23rd Feb -  5 pm Friday 27th Feb (5 days)

Results Release: Wednesday, 11th March (anytime between 9 am - 5 pm)

What does results held mean?

Results held essentially means that voting will close, but the results won't be released to committees or members until the results release date. This 7-working-day window will allow us to address any election complaints raised before the results are released. This will also enable us to assess which societies will need to hold a by-election before the end of the academic year because they haven't been successful in filling essential committee roles, and to prepare to contact them with support.

When can and how can we advertise our election and role descriptions?

You can advertise your election at any time before nominations open. This includes advertising roles and role descriptions. How you choose to advertise your election to your members is up to you! Committee members will still be able to edit role descriptions in Memplus if needed once your election is set up. We recommend you give members this information in advance of nominations. We will be contacting all students who are members of a society in the upcoming week to notify them of when nominations and voting open. 

Why have the dates been standardised for all groups, and why are Elections in term 2?

We have decided to implement this new timeline to standardise the process across all our society groups, ensuring consistency and fairness. We believe that setting a standard timeframe for all groups will make our messaging clearer and ensure that committee members and members alike have a stronger understanding of election-related deadlines and expectations at each stage of the process.  

We have decided to bring society elections forward to mid-term 2 for the following reasons:

• Handover: New committee members will have maximum time to onboard and complete compulsory training; the old committee will have more time to hand over to newly elected members and to complete essential documents, such as your Annual Risk Assessment, before the academic year ends.
• Training: Essential training can be completed by newly elected committee members by late term 2, early term 3. By completing training now, new committee members will be better prepared for the start of the new academic year in September and ensure that our team is not chasing students to complete this during the summer break.
• Avoiding Exams: No elections will be held or prepared during the May exam period, with the aim of reducing stress and competing responsibilities for all committee members.
• By-Elections: Groups with unsuccessful elections will be able to hold by-elections earlier, giving more time for the essential handover period.
• Term Dates: Term 2 runs from Monday 5 January to Friday 27 March. We are constrained by this timeline, as we need to ensure there is enough time at the end of the term to begin training and onboarding new committees. We also want to avoid scheduling elections during your 4-week Easter break.

Some students don't know where they'll be next academic year and may not run in our election as a result.

The following types of students can still run for a committee position in your 25/26 election if they have a society membership:

• Students on a study abroad / year in industry participated in as part of a course based at the University of Exeter Devon campus, which means you will remain a member of the Student Guild and can participate in elections.
• Interrupted students, as they are still registered University of Exeter students, are members of the Guild.
• Master's and postgraduate students, provided they will be in Exeter for the next academic year.
• Students with conditional offers are to return to Exeter next year on a master's programme. If they are elected and later find they are no longer returning, they need to inform the Students’ Guild by emailing activities@exeterguild.com. The society will then need to hold a by-election to fill that position.

If you don't fill your 3 core roles after your election, you will not be instantly deactivated. The Activities team will contact you after voting closes to support you in running a by-election prior to the end of the academic year to fill those 3 core committee roles.

Deactivating a society is considered a last resort and something our team wants to avoid. Please be reassured that we will support your society in filling its core committee positions before the end of the academic year, provided you want to remain active.

AGMs (Annual General Meetings), Elections & Hustling 

All groups are encouraged to hold an AGM within each academic year. Usually, groups use these spaces to review their achievements so far this year and their plans for the next academic year, and to give election candidates a key opportunity to present their cases for election (often referred to as "hustling"). When societies hold their AGAs, it is up to them. However, it would be beneficial to hold your AGM during the voting period to allow nominees the opportunity to speak directly to members. You can find out more information about AGMs here: https://my.exeterguild.com/articles/62-agms

If you don't want to organise your AGM to fit into this year's election timeline, you can host it at a later date, after the election results are announced, enabling you to introduce your onboarding committee, recap your activities for this academic year, and plan for the next. 

Instead of hosting "hustlings" (the opportunity for nominated candidates to speak to members and 'hustle' for votes) as part of your AGM, you can organise a separate 'hustling' event during the voting window for candidates to address members. 

AGMs are not a mandatory requirement but are recommended.

With short notice, will my members not be aware of the elections?

We will be contacting all students who are members of a society to let them know when nominations and voting open. By standardising these dates, it will be clearer to all members when they can nominate themselves for roles and when they can vote, regardless of how many society groups they are members of.

Are committees expected to contact their members, also to publish their election and encourage members to nominate themselves and to vote?

What happens if we do not fulfil all our committee positions during this election?

For a society to remain active into the next academic year, you need to have elected a president, treasurer and an additional committee role during your 2026 election.

If you achieve this during your election but don't fill other committee roles, your society remains active, and you can hold a by-election in the next academic year to fill the remaining positions.

If you don't fill your 3 core roles after your election, you will not be instantly deactivated. The Activities team will contact you after voting closes to support you in running a by-election prior to the end of the academic year to fill those 3 core committee roles.

If your by-election is unsuccessful, then your society will be made inactive. However, you will have the opportunity to reactivate your society in Term 1 of the next academic year.

Deactivating a society is considered a last resort and something our team wants to avoid. Please be reassured that we will support your society in filling its core committee positions before the end of the academic year for societies that want to remain active.

How will results be released?

All society election results will be released on the same date (Wednesday, 11th March).

Official election results will be sent to your society email address on the 11th of March at any time between 9 am and 5 pm. If you haven't received your election results by 5 pm, please email the activities team, and we will look into this for you. 

We understand that some of our groups like to release election results at a society event. You can still do this if you choose. How you disseminate this information to your newly elected committee and your members is up to the committee.

When will the newly elected committee start?

Newly elected committee members will officially start on 1st August 2026, meaning this year's committee will still have a full year's term, even though elections will be earlier for some.

Once your election results are released, elected members will be contacted by the Activities Team to book onto their mandatory committee training. Outgoing committees are also expected to use this time to complete a sufficient handover to ensure new members feel prepared for their official start date. 

Has the process for nominations and voting changed?

The process for candidates to nominate themselves and for members to vote is the same as last academic year. We understand that our current online nomination and voting processes need updating to make them faster and more user-friendly. However, we felt that changing these systems, as well as the election timeline and how we set up elections, would be too ambitious a task for one academic year. We will address these processes in preparation for the next academic year's society election cycle.

What is Re-Open Nominations (RON), and why is RON listed as a candidate in my election?

RON stands for Re-Open Nominations. All positions in every society's election have RON included as an option for voters. Including RON makes each societies elcetion as democratic as possible, as voters can vote for RON if they do not feel the candidates currently running are suitable for the position they are running for. RON appears on the ballot, and votes for RON are counted in the same way as those for candidates. If RON is declared the winner after all votes have been counted, the election will be held again for that individual role. The original candidates are allowed to run again in the new ballot, but this gives the opportunity for new candidates to run also.

Where can I get support?

We’re adding Society Elections drop-ins and info stalls to give you quick, face-to-face help when you need it throughout the lead-up to and during elections. Check the latest addition of your committee newsletter for upcoming dates and times.

Alternatively, you can email us via activities@exeterguild.com.