We are here to improve your university experience and help you have the best possible time as a student. We’re an independent charity that represents your issues and concerns and works with the University to make positive change.

We offer support on issues related to academia, health and housing through our Advice Team and you can get involved with our societies to meet new people, try a new hobby or practice your faith.

We’re a democratic organisation run by a team of students which you vote for and are elected each year, alongside a team of core staff.

They ensure that all students can put themselves forward and vote on which students should represent them for the year ahead as Officers.

Based on their manifesto and job role Officers will organise events, run campaigns and make changes to policy. They will also attend high level university meetings on behalf of all BCU students, and convey student issues and concerns to university staff.

Any enrolled BCU student can run in our Officer Elections, regardless of the level of your course.

You must be enrolled at the time you are successfully elected (Friday 13th February). Each course has a different end date; contact BCU’s Student Support Centre if you’re unsure.

Yes, if elected, an extension on your visa may be required – BCUSU can help you with this.

To nominate another student, you need:

• Their name
• BCU email address
• Student ID
• The position you think they should run for

When you nominate someone else, we will email them asking them to consider running in the election, you will be given the choice to remain anonymous.

There are 5 positions available:

• President
• Vice President Community
• Vice President Education
• Vice President Student Voice
• Vice President Welfare

The salary for each position is: £26,706. Find out more by reading the Officer job descriptions.

Successfully elected candidates will be employed on a fixed term contract from Monday 15th June 2026 – Sunday 13th June 2027. You can choose to run again, but candidates can only serve two terms in total (if successfully re-elected).

Remember this is a full-time position, so if elected you will need to defer your course – we can help with this!

Prior to campaigning and voting opening, we offer training sessions to help candidates understand what is required and support they can receive.

Staff in BCUSU’s Activities & Representation Team will provide support for ad-hoc questions throughout the voting period.

All candidates have to attend the candidate training session(s) before they are allowed to campaign, including Question Time, to ensure they are equipped for elections.

Dates for training sessions will be communicated to you after your nomination. If you cannot attend a valid reason will need to be provided to the Elections Deputy Returning Officer (DRO). Reasons include:

• A university lecture, seminar, tutorial clash
• Illness which prevents attendance on campus
• Serious personal difficulties

If they have a valid reason for not being available for the group sessions, they need to arrange to meet with the DRO before campaigning.

You’ll be asked three questions to create your manifesto:

• Why do you want to run for this position?
• What would your priorities be if you were elected?
• What skills and experience do you have that would make you a good officer?

(250 characters per question, plus 50 characters for an optional slogan)

The deadline to complete your manifesto and submit your photo is Monday 26th January, midday.

Yes, campaign regulations and guidelines will be revealed to you during the candidate training process.

Of course, we’re constantly looking for feedback and each student has a voice. We collect your feedback through our regular surveys and through our Rep System.

You can speak with your Course or Lead Rep, or become one yourself. We also have campaigns throughout the year which you can be involved with, check out our Liberation Societies for more information.

Yes, they can. Officers can run a maximum of two years in any position, if you’ve already graduated this must be two consecutive years.

We recommend submitting your nomination online, preferably on a desktop or laptop, rather than a mobile device. Read our step-by-step guide for how to make your submission. Or watch our video which talks you through the steps for submitting.

Only enrolled BCU students can vote. BCU and BCUSU staff cannot vote or support individual candidates, ensuring elections are unbiased and fair.

Your voice matters and your votes ensure the students elected represent the diverse views and needs of BCU students.

BCUSU hold the University to account when necessary, your Officer Team are a big part of that. They represent the views and concerns of students, influencing changes at BCU for current and future students.

They regularly meet with Faculty Deans (that run your course!) to ensure that positive changes are made. They also meet with BCU Directors to make positive improvements to support services at university.

Reading manifesto points can give you an idea of what changes each candidate will try to make if elected. Take time to read through each manifesto and submit your vote based on what candidate resonates with you most.

You can vote online or on BCUSU’s App . You must be logged in and fully enrolled to vote. If you are having issues voting or logging in, please contact BCUSU Reception.

We use a Transferable Voting method, which means voters can rank their preferences in each position or abstain. You can find out more here..

When you vote, you’ll be added in our daily prize draws to win an Apple iPad, draws will be done on:

• Monday 9th
• Tuesday 10th
• Wednesday 11th
• Thursday 12th

The lucky winner will be contacted through their student email. Freebies can also be claimed at voting stalls across campuses

Want to increase your chances of winning an iPad?
Students that complete voting (by voting for all 5 Officer roles), can try and crack our lock boxes on campus. Find our lock boxes at voting stalls in:

• Curzon atrium: Monday - Thursday
• Seacole atrium: Monday - Thursday
• School of Art, Margaret St: Monday and Tuesday
• School of Jewellery, Vittoria St: Tuesday only

Terms & Conditions*:

• Voters will need to provide their 'Voting completed' email to staff at the voting stall. Voting must be completed to receive this email
• Attempts are limited to one per day, per stall
• Attempts are subject to staff members discretion
• Lock box locations will be subject to staff availability
• Prizes and freebies will be subject to availability
• Successful codebreakers will need to provide their student email and will be contacted to collect their prize at a later date

Voting opens on Monday 9th February, at 10am. You can vote online at bcusu.com, or at one of our campus voting booths. To ensure your vote is personal, you will need to be logged-in to submit your vote. You can vote on browser or by downloading our app.

We use a Single Transferable Voting method, where you can rank your preferences in each position or abstain. You can find out more here.

For each of the 5 positions, the candidate with the most votes wins and is elected into the Officer Team.

Votes are collected digitally through bcusu.com. Nobody can view results until voting closes on Thursday 12th February, at 2pm. The results will be revealed at Elections Results Night on Friday 13th February.

Despite the outcome of the Elections, all candidates should be incredibly proud of all their hard work. It’s not easy to put yourself out there and campaign for a full week.

If you don’t win, you can run again next year and still be involved with representing students. You can speak with your Course or Lead Rep, or become one yourself.

We also have campaigns throughout the year which you can be involved with, check out our Liberation Societies for more information on projects and the Liberation Council.

The following rules govern the election of the Executive Officer team at Birmingham City University Students’ Union (BCUSU) and should be considered in conjunction with existing bylaws governing the organisation. Any breach of the Elections Rules could result in disciplinary action being taken against you, as a candidate, by the Deputy Returning Officer (DRO). These rules refer in part to Bye Law 11, which can be found online at bcusu.com. They act as a supplement to standard regulations of both BCU and BCUSU which are agreed to on enrolment.

 

Any breach of the Elections Rules could result in disciplinary action being taken against you, as a candidate, by the Deputy Returning Officer (DRO). If the breach also goes against BCU or BCUSU codes of conduct, the behaviour could result in further disciplinary action or investigation by BCU or BCUSU.

Ignorance of these rules is not a defence.

 

1. Oversight

1.1 BCUSU will ensure all student members of the Union can participate fully in all aspects of the election.

1.2 BCUSU will conduce Elections in a spirit of friendliness and cooperation.

1.3 The Union’s Returning Officer (RO) is responsible for the overall fairness of the Elections process at BCUSU. Our elections are currently returned by NUS and our RO is Peter Robertson.

1.4 The DRO is responsible for running the elections on a day-to-day basis and ensuring they are free and fair. They also act as the decision maker for any complaints or concerns.

1.5 They are supported in their duties by an elections panel, comprised of Union staff from a mixture of disciplines and backgrounds.
 

2. Complaints
2.1 Any complaints about the elections process, or the conduct of candidates and/or their campaign team members, should be made via the appropriate complaints form on the BCUSU Elections Hub website. Complaints submitted in any way other than through this webform will not be considered.

2.2 Any complaints about the elections process, or the conduct of candidates and/ or their campaign team members must only be submitted by the individual who is affected. Complaints from witnesses or bystanders will not be considered.

2.3 Following a discussion with the Union’s elections panel, the DRO will decide whether the complaint will be upheld or dismissed within one working day of receipt of the complaint.

2.4 BCUSU may take any of the following disciplinary action, including but not limited to:

• Verbal warning
• Written warning (2 written warnings = disqualification)
• Ban on campaigning for a designated length of time, or in a specific location
• Disqualification from the election
• Disqualification from this and all subsequent SU elections
• Report behaviour to BCU complaints procedures

2.5 All disciplinary action (including non-action) can be appealed by the complainant or the disciplined party. The process for appeal is detailed in Bye Law 11. Both parties will receive clear information on the appeals process from the DRO or their deputy.

 

3. Eligibility to Stand

3.1 All candidates wishing to stand for a position must meet the below criteria before the campaigning period opens, if not before:

• be enrolled students at Birmingham City University for the full duration of the elections period
• agree to the Elections Rules by electronically signing a copy of this document
• provide a manifesto, to be published by the Union
• attend all required training session(s)
• attend a 1-2-1 meeting with a member of the elections team
• attend Question Time event(s) hosted by BCUSU

3.2 No candidate is eligible to stand for more than one position in any given SU election.

3.3 A student who is currently under investigation or disciplinary proceedings under BCU and/ or BCUSU may not be permitted to become a candidate in the BCUSU election.

• All decisions will be made by the DRO on a case-by-case basis, and safety, reputational, and welfare risks will be taken into consideration.
• If permitted to run by the DRO, the election results should not be announced until the disciplinary procedure has been completed.

 

4. Campaigning Conduct

4.1 Candidates may recruit a campaign team to support them through the elections process.

• All members of a campaign team must be current, enrolled BCU students whose names have been submitted to the Students’ Union via the approved method ahead of the campaign period opening.
• Candidates must take all reasonable steps to ensure that their team’s actions always comply with the election rules.

4.2 Candidates or their campaign team are not allowed to campaign in any way before the opening of the campaigning period.

4.3 Candidates are allowed to run in a slate. A slate is defined as a group of candidates joining together whether via resources, campaign material or encouraging voters to vote for other candidates. Slates must be registered with the SU before campaigning opens.

4.4 Candidates may criticise another candidate’s campaign but must never be personal. Candidates and their supporters must not:

• Reference another candidate’s personal traits or character, or any protected characteristic under the Equality Act Part 2 (Equality Act 2010)
• Reference another candidate’s religious, political, or other views.
• Intimidate any participant in the election.
• Deface any campaign material, or sabotage the campaign, of another candidate.
• Make any attempt to influence the impartiality of the DRO or Union staff.

4.5 Candidates and their campaign team members must not communicate or interfere with voters in any way once they have begun to complete their ballot.

4.6 Candidates and their campaign team members should take all reasonable steps to ensure the autonomy of the voter to cast their vote privately.

4.7 Candidates and their campaign team members should avoid any behaviour that could be considered intimidation or harassment of an individual to vote in a particular way.

4.8 Candidates and their campaign team members should not use their own electronic devices to enable students to cast their vote.

4.9 Candidates and their campaign team members must not campaign in the library spaces or teaching spaces such as lecture halls and seminar rooms.

4.10 Campaigning must not involve the damaging of any BCU or BCUSU property.

4.11 To protect the wellbeing of candidates and voters, campaigning is limited to the hours of 09:00 – 18:00 each day during the campaign period. Candidates and their campaign teams must not engage in any form of campaigning (online or in person) outside of these hours. Voters may still cast votes at any time of day.
 

5. Campaign Budget

5.1 An equal amount of budget will be allocated to all candidates by the Elections Panel.

5.2 No candidate may spend more on their campaign than the budget allows.

5.3 Campaign budgets should not be shared between candidates unless those candidates are in a registered slate.

5.4 Candidates must not use resources that are not readily available to all candidates.

5.5 Items which are readily available to all campaigners can be used for free and will be listed for candidates to refer to.

5.6 Any items other than those listed will have a charge associated with them that will be deducted from candidate’s campaign budget.

5.7 Items that campaigners already own can be valued using a minimum price list. Any item a candidate wishes to use should be submitted, in writing, to the DRO before use. The DRO will value items which are submitted, and not already on this list, within two working days of the request for an evaluation.
 

6. Use of Logos

6.1 The logos of Birmingham City University (BCU) and Birmingham City University Students’ Union (BCUSU) should not be used by candidates in any promotional material to indicate sponsorship or support. This includes adding the logos to your promotional material, including your elections photograph.

6.2 Logos of Student Groups affiliated to BCUSU may be used by candidates in promotional materials with permission in writing from the committee of that society.
 

7. Use of Social Media

7.1 Candidates and their campaign team members may campaign in group chats (private or public) or other online social spaces.

7.2 Candidates and their campaign team members should not ‘spam’ online spaces as this could be classed as harassment and result in disciplinary action.

7.3 Candidates and their campaign team members may only use mailing lists where lawful to do so and where use of that list complies with GDPR legislation.

7.4 Candidates and their campaign team members cannot use personal data gained from BCU or BCUSU roles in order to send communications.
 

8. Society Endorsements

8.1 A society may ‘endorse’ candidates or slates in the election, meaning that they can openly support them and encourage their members to vote for them. This may include activity such as:

• The society posting on social media promoting the candidate or slate
• Allowing the candidate to come and speak to its members to campaign for their vote
• A society messaging its members encouraging them to vote for the candidate or slate

8.2 Society endorsements can only be agreed upon by the society’s committee members via a committee vote.

8.3 Societies must register their endorsements with the Activities and Representation Team, via the designated method, before the endorsement is announced publicly.
 

9. R.O.N. Campaigning

9.1 Re-Open Nominations (R.O.N) is a valid ballot option in all Union elections. Voting for R.O.N allows members to indicate that they do not wish to elect any of the standing candidates and would prefer the position to be re-opened for further nominations.

9.2 Students may choose to run a R.O.N campaign where they believe none of the candidates are suitable for the role or where they wish to encourage a wider or more diverse pool of candidates.

9.3 R.O.N is not treated as an individual candidate and therefore cannot receive candidate support resources or budget.

9.4 Any student wishing to run a R.O.N campaign must register with the Elections Team before they campaign for R.O.N.

9.5 Registered R.O.N campaigners must adhere to all rules that apply to candidates’ campaigners, including conduct, expenses, use of resources, and behaviour online.

9.6 Any breaches of these rules by R.O.N campaigners will be handled through the standard elections complaints and disciplinary process, and may include investigation or disciplinary action through BCU and BCUSU processes in addition.
 

10. Candidates who hold existing roles in BCUSU

10.1 Any current BCUSU Officer who is re-running as a candidate must take annual leave for the full duration of the campaigning period. Officers may not carry out Officer duties while on annual leave, and must not use their Officer role, access, or resources in any way that could influence the election.

10.2 Student staff members employed by BCUSU who are running as candidates may continue to take shifts during the campaigning period, provided that:

• The shifts are not connected to the election or election delivery
• They do not campaign in any form while on shift

10.3 Candidates who hold society committee positions must not campaign while carrying out their committee duties.

• To protect the fairness of the election, all society administrative system access (including email accounts, page permissions, and management platforms) will be temporarily removed for the duration of the campaigning period.
• This access will be reinstated once the campaigning period has ended.