FAQs

Leaders Election: Frequently Asked Questions 

If you have a question not listed below then please email the Election Team on suelections@londonmet.ac.uk
 

What is the London Met Students’ Union (LMSU) Leaders election?

The Students’ Union Leaders election takes place annually in March. We elect a number of students to full and part-time leadership positions. All the leaders elected in the most recent election will take up office from 1st July 2024 to 30th June 2025.

All students at London Metropolitan University are members of the Students’ Union, unless you have decided to opt-out. All currently enrolled students can stand and vote in the election, although for some positions the participants are restricted to self-identifying demographics. If elected to a part-time role or student council role you must remain a student for the duration of your term of office.

The LMSU leaders elections are for the following positions:

4 x Full-time officers (President, VP Education, VP Welfare and Equity, VP Activities and Opportunities)

4 x Part-time officers (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students, LGBTQ+ students, Disabled students, Women students)

10 x Student Council Members

What are the rules and regulations?

The Students’ Union (SU) elections are run in accordance with the SU’s governing documents and specifically by-law 5 (elections and referenda). Further election regulations are provided in the Candidate Pack (see link below):

LMSU Bye-law 5

Election 2024 Candidate Pack 


What are Full-time Officers?

Full-time Officers, as the name suggests, work full-time in their role.  This is usually 9am-5pm Monday to Friday, so 35 hours per week, although some evening and weekend work is sometimes required as part of the role. Full-time officers do not study at the same time. They will take up office on 1st July 2024 and hold office for 12 months i.e. throughout the 2024-25 academic year. 

If you are about to graduate then you can serve as an officer the year following your graduation. If you are not in your final year at present you can pause your studies for a year and take a ‘sabbatical’ year while you serve as a full-time officer and then re-commence your course once you have served your term of office. It is for this reason full-time officers are sometimes called ‘Sabbaticals Officers’ or ‘sabbs’

Full-time officers are paid £27, 028 (plus a to-be agreed cost of living increase). There are 4 full-time officer positions: President, VP Education, VP Welfare and Equity, VP Activities and Opportunities. You can find out more about full-time officers and see the role descriptions here

 

What are part-time officers? 

Part-time Liberation Officers are part-time voluntary roles that students do alongside their studies. This means you must be London Met student in 2024-25 academic year. You don’t need to pause your course and they are not paid. 

Liberation Officers represent students who self-identify as belonging to one or more of 4 liberation groups - Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students, LGTBQ+ students, students with disabilities and Women students. We use the term ‘liberation’ because we believe that working on these issues is about liberation – freedom from the oppression people face because of their identities, in both higher education and wider society. There are 4 part-time liberation officer positions, you can read more about them here: 

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Students' Officer 

LGBTQ+ Students' Officer 

Disabled Students' Officer 

Women's Officer 

Can I stand for more than one position?

You may stand for one of the full-time positions. You may also stand for one of the part-time officer positions. 

Can I stand for more than one full-time officer position? 

No. You can only stand for one of the full-time positions. 

Can I stand for more than one part-time officer position? 

No. You can only stand for one of the full-time positions. 

Can I stand for a full-time and a part-time position?

Yes, you can do this, but if elected to a part-time position you have to be a London Met student in 2024-25 academic year to do the role. 

What happens if I am elected to both a part-time officer and a full-time officer role?

If you were to be elected to a full-time officer role then you would be eliminated from the part-time officer ballot and any votes would be redistributed accordingly (see Candidate Pack Appendix One Election Regulations 2024-24).
 

What happens if I try to stand for more than one full-time or more than one part-time position?

The system will not let you do this.
 

Why does it say my candidature is 'pending approval'? 

All  applications will say this until a few days after applications close. This is because we need to check a few things behing the scenes such as making sure all applicants and proposers are current students.  
 

Are students who are suspended by the university allowed to stand for election?
 
No. This is because if a student is suspended then their membership of the Students' Union is also suspended as per the LMSU Articles Section 10.5 

 

Can I stand to be a Student Council member as well?

Yes, you can do this. 

 

What are Student Council members?

Student Council is the main discussion and decision-making forum within the Students’ Union. It is made up of students elected via a number of different constituencies across the university such as Student Groups (societies and student media) and student representatives (elected officers and Student Reps).

Student Council members discuss and debate issues that are of interest or concern to students, help decide what the Union should be working on, recommend policies to the Board of Trustees and also make sure that the elected officers are working hard to make the changes students want to happen.

There are 10 Council Member positions available in this election. You can find out more about Student Council members and see the role descriptions here

 

I am hoping to graduate in summer 2024. Can I still stand and become a full-time officer? 

Yes. Full-time positions are ideal for student in their final year and about to graduate. Consider the role as a 12-month, fixed-term graduate jog. 

I am hoping to graduate in summer 2024. Can I still stand and become a part-time officer? 

No. You have to be a London Met student in 2024-25 academic year to be a part-time officer, as you will take up the role in September 2024. Therefore if you are not going to be at London Met next year then don't stand for a part-time position. 

Can I be a full-time officer for two years?

If you were to stand and be re-elected in the March 2025 Leaders Election then yes you could. You cannot serve more than two years though. 

I am currently a postgraduate student who course finishes in September 2024, can I still be a full-time officer?

If elected, you would still need to pause your studies, including coursework, or dissertation or similar so you can take up the role full-time. At the end of your employment at LMSU in June 2025 you would then restart your studies, complete your dissertation or any other parts of your course.

 

Who can vote?

All currently enrolled London Metropolitan University students who are members of the Students’ Union can stand and vote in the election.  All students at London Metropolitan University are members of the Students’ Union, unless you have decided to opt-out.

For part-time liberation officer positions only students who self-identify as belonging to that liberation group can vote for the part-time officer representing that group. For all other positions, all students can vote.
 

When can I vote?

Voting for the 2024 Leaders Election is from Monday 4th March 09:00 to Friday 8th March 12:00 noon. 

 

How do I vote?

Voting will be online via our website. We will also run polling stations on both campuses where you can vote in-person.  
 

How do I apply / nominate myself?

You can submit your application online via the election website  here.  You will need to log-in to the site. You will also need to include the full name and student ID number of two ‘proposers’. The deadline for submitting your application is Friday 9th February 5:00pm. 
 

What are proposers?

Proposers are other London Met students who are prepared, publicly, to support your nomination. You will need to ask them first if they are ok to do this and make sure you know their full name and student ID number. Sometimes they are called ‘nominators’ or ‘seconders.’ 
 

What is a manifesto?

A manifesto is a written statement outlining what you want to do if elected and to encourage people to vote for you.  You can write up to 400 words. You may use any graphics and design features which the election website accepts. If you are standing for more than one position you should have a different manifesto for each position. Please note it is mandatory for all candidates to submit a manifesto by Monday 19th February 09:00am. Manifestos are submitted via this page. 
 

When can I start campaigning?

You may only start campaigning at 09:00am on Monday 26th February 2024. You can tell people you are standing in the Leaders Election prior to this date but you must not actively canvass students for their votes, distribute publicity or put anything online or on social media. 
 

What is candidate Q&A?

Candidate Q&A or 'Candidate Question-time' (sometimes known as ‘hustings’) are opportunities for candidates for full-time and part-time officer positions to make a speech and take questions from students and debate issues with other candidates. All full-time and part-time officer candidates will be contacted and provided with full details about these events, 
 

What is STV (Single Transferable Vote)?

STV is the voting system used by the Students’ Union. It means that voters express their preference for candidates by ranking them 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc. rather than using a single tick or cross. It is the recommended voting system of the National Union of Students (NUS) and is seen as being more representative than ‘first past the post.’ It is explained further in this video.
 

Can I vote for myself?

Yes

 

If I get elected, can I choose my start date or take on the role in another year?

No, any full-time officers elected must be available to start their role on a full-time basis at the end of June 2024, and part-time officers must be available to start their roles in September 2024.

 

Can I be part of a 'team' i.e. with a number of other students and we all stand for a different position and campaign together? 

Yes, candidates are permitted to organise in teams, sometimes known as “slates”, and may produce shared publicity and encourage voters to support all the members of the team. However, slates may not pool their resources to give them an unfair advantage or do things independent candidates could not do. Slate candidates may also be held jointly liable for the actions of fellow slate members.

 

I am an international student. Can i apply? 

All students including international students can apply. However if you hold a visa to study in the UK you should seek advice from the below team about any visa implications. If elected a full-time officer you would need to pause your course in academic year 2024-25 this means you will need an extra year to complete your course:

https://student.londonmet.ac.uk/international/international-support-team/international-advice/

 

Can I use my Sabbatical Year as a placement year?
No, the sabbatical year is a full year of work, and It cannot be used as a Placement Year. Usually, placement years are taken after your second year; However, we open our sabbatical roles to students from every level of study.

Do I require prior experience to run in elections?
No prior experience is required to run for any of the roles! The only thing required is passion and determination and a willingness to learn.

Will I get any funding for running my own campaign?
Yes. See section 4 of the candidate pack, located on this page. 


Are staff allowed to vote for me or support my campaign?
No, lecturers are not allowed to vote for you! All staff must stay neurtal at all times. 

Where can I find out more information? 

Everything you need to know is on this site or you can email the election team on suelections@londonmet.ac.uk