Make sure to read the election information for any additional context and rulings by the DRO.
Any activity or publicity that is illegal, breaches College rules, policies and codes or Union bye-laws, regulations, policies or constitution or GDPR is deemed to be in breach of the election rules.
The College is still a place of work for students and staff alike during the election period. Candidates must not do anything to disrupt the normal operations of College or the Union during campaigning.
The RO/DRO reserve the right to suspend the elections in the event of a circumstance beyond the Union's control. This may include but not limited to: acts of God, war, strikes or labour disputes, embargoes, acts of competent government or regulatory authorities, pandemic, quarantine or widespread illness, illness of members of staff, actual, suspected or threatened act of terrorism, riot, civil disorder, or any other 'force majeure' event.
Lecture shout outs are prohibited unless permission is provided by the lecturer.
Lecture chat functions must not be used for campaigning without permission of the lecturer or organiser.
Any expenditure must be on activity or items that all candidates could reasonably have had the opportunity to buy or carry out.
All campaign material, including any paid for social media advertising, must be accounted for and spend declared, with a suitable receipt.
No candidates' publicity may appear before the beginning of campaigning as stated in the Elections timeline.
Use of the Union or College logo (apart from the Union-provided Elections Banner) on campaign material is prohibited.
Permission must be sought when posters are placed on non-designated poster boards in departments and halls of residences. Designated poster boards are:
a. On Union Building poster boards with the exception of the bar areas and the Union Dining Hall and those covered in glass.
b. Stairway noticeboards at St. Mary's, on each floor.
c. Glass notice boards at Sir Alexander Fleming Building and in the UMO student post room (the student common room in SAF Building, next to the office for the ICSMSU President).
d. Reynolds First floor walls and basement walls
e. Sherfield walkway
All publicity must be in English only or have an English translation of anything said in a foreign language, the translation being equal or greater in prominence.
Publicity stunts must not occur on the Queen's Lawn, Queen's Lawn Terrace, Prince's Gardens, or Dalby Court without the consent of the College Secretary. They should never be offensive or dangerous - including contravening Health & Safety considerations. A risk assessment must have been submitted and approved, and appropriate permissions must be sought.
Candidates and their campaign team may not harass, coerce, bribe or use intimidation to persuade someone to vote or whom to vote for.
Candidates and their campaign team must not obscure, tamper with or remove the publicity of any other candidates nor any publicity for non-election related issues or events.
Campaign material and activities must not cause damage to College or Union property
All candidate websites and social media pages should contain a link to the elections website imperialcollegeunion.org/elections.
All campaigning conducted through social media Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X should contain the hashtag '#icuElections'. Candidates should declare their social media accounts during the nomination and manifesto uploading period to support the RO/DRO to investigate complaints should they arise.
Candidates are allowed to use social media or digital communication chat functions, mailing lists, and other forms of group communication only if they have collected consent to be contacted from those individuals during the campaign period and the group was formed for the sole purpose of campaigning in this election.
Candidates running for Officer Trustee positions must only run for one position as opposed to multiple.
The rules of the elections will be interpreted and enforced by the Returning Officer (RO) and Deputy Returning Officers (DROs). Any decisions and interpretations of the elections rules made by the RO or DROs will be published on the elections website with the dates they were made. Candidates must comply with all decisions and interpretations that are published in this way.