Elections

What are the elections?

Your Open SU elections are the perfect time to get involved in how we are run, either through voting or standing for a position. If you have time to get involved, we would love to have you and there are so many positions up for grabs that you are bound to find something that interests you. Elections are a chance for any student to nominate themselves for a vacant position and for students to then vote for their preferred candidate to represent them. If you would like to be involved but don't feel you have the time to commit to one of these roles, you can still have your say by using your vote! We also have several volunteer opportunities throughout the year with varied time commitments, if you need more flexibility but would like to meet fellow students, help your peers and/or gain skills with us.

Who can nominate themselves for a role?

Any OU student can stand, so long as you meet any criteria for the roles (e.g., the Area Representative for Scotland needs to live in Scotland at the time of applying). We are open to applications from all OU students and encourage students from underrepresented groups to consider standing. We are committed to creating a Student Leadership Team and Board of Trustees which is representative of the student community. Diverse teams achieve better outcomes for students, particularly if they are more reflective of the community they represent, and so this is something we are passionate about.

Do you need any previous experience to stand?

No! No previous experience of working with Open SU is required to stand for any of the roles. You just need to: be a current OU (Open University) student at the time you stand, be enthusiastic, be willing to learn, have ideas about what you would like to do if elected, have the time to commit to the role you choose, complete a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check if standing for positions responsible for vulnerable groups. We also don’t expect candidates to have prior work experience within professional roles relating to advertised positions. Open SU is a welcoming space for people to grow and learn in. Full training would be provided if you were elected to a role, as well as a friendly staff team who will be around to answer any queries you have and support you throughout your term.

Get in touch with oustudents-elections@open.ac.uk if you have any questions.

How much of my time will being an elected Open SU Representative take up?

All the candidate packs indicate an expected number of hours you will spend in your volunteer role based on current post holder's time commitments; however, this can differ dependant on an individuals working style and availability. It is important to remember that you can scale up or down your time spent volunteering by taking on more responsibilities, but for those who work whilst volunteering or who have a limited time to spare, it would be best to speak to the current post holder or a staff member before applying to get a sense of how this role could work for you. There is always support from the office and it is ok to take holidays from your role.

How does the voting system work?

Ballots will be sent out by email from Civica, an independent elections agency who are managing the Open SU elections process, to all Open SU members. All voting happens online and will be open for around two weeks. Open SU uses a Single Transferable Voting (STV) system which allows voters to order their candidates by preference instead of relying on a single vote. Voters can select as many or as few candidates as they wish, numbering them from most preferred onwards. Area Representatives can only be voted for by members who live in the relevant nation. I.e. only Welsh members can vote for the Area Representative for Wales. All other positions can be voted on by all members, including Faculty Representatives.

How do I nominate myself?

To stand in the elections, you must nominate yourself for a role via our website, where you will find an online application form to share your relevant skills and reasons for standing. We need to know that this is a role you want to do, therefore nominations from third parties will not be considered. You also do not require any supporting nominations from anyone else to stand, and the process is easy to follow. At any point you can ask for support or guidance from Open SU or from Civica to complete your nominations, and we will also be hosting drop-in sessions for anyone who is interested in standing to give you more information and to answer your questions.

If you're considering using AI in your nomination, here's some guidance from the OU on using Generative AI responsibly and effectively.

How do I ask candidates a question?

OU Students Connect is the chat platform for OU students, and we will be using it this year for students to ask questions to the candidates.
Once you log in to OU Student Connect (you can use your OU login and won't need to make a new account), you can either find specific people and start a chat with them, or head to the dedicated Elections space, which will be available soon, to see any candidates who have started a thread introducing themselves, where you can reply with any questions you have. There will also be live 'hustings' or 'Question and Answer' sessions for President and Deputy President candidates on Wednesday 15 April, 7-8pm.

If you're not sure what to ask, read the candidate profile on our voting site (which will be linked on this page when candidate profiles are shared) first and go from there. You could ask them about their aims and motivations to be elected or something more specific if you would like.

OU Student Connect threads will be moderated and any comments or questions not in line with our Values & Behaviours Policy and other applicable codes will be removed. For more information on getting set up on OU Student Connect, visit our user guide.

Why are there changes to the structure of the SLT?

In 2025 we commissioned an external review of Open SU’s governance processes and structures in order to better understand what was working well and how we could do a better job of representing OU students and provide a better experience for our elected Student Leaders.

The review produced a series of recommendations to the Board of Trustees based on evidence collected from Student Leaders, Trustees, the wider OU student population and the Open SU staff team. The full report, including recommendations, can be found on our website.

The Board of Trustees decided to implement a small number of the recommendations ahead of the 2026 elections so that we can evaluate their effectiveness in improving how students are represented by our democratic processes. The Trustees and the Student Leadership Team voted to make amendments to the bye-laws to introduce these changes.

What are the changes to the SLT structure?

The changes to the SLT include:

Reducing the number of Vice President roles from the current 6 to 4 at for the 2026-28 term. This is as a result of the Deputy President taking on the Student Voice and Student Representation portfolios.
The removal of the Student Member of Council role. The Deputy President will also take on these responsibilities
The removal of the Open and Access Representative role.
Some of the Vice President role titles have changed to make them more relevant to the current student experience.
Clearer distinction in responsibilities between the Officer Team roles (President, Deputy President and Vice Presidents) and the Elected Representative roles (Faculty Reps, Areas Reps, EDI reps and Sustainability Rep).
A new structure to SLT meetings.

Being a student leader

Become part of a community

Being part of the Leadership Team isn't just about making positive change, but forming professional and personal relationships that have the potential to last a lifetime.

Develop a variety of skills

While at Open SU you will have the opportunity for personal and professional development through training and 1-2-1 sessions.

Make the role your own

Each role has remits, but you have the opportunity to work on your own projects and ideas throughout your two-year term.

Flexible working

We know life is everchanging! That's why the role comes with a level of flexibility to work around your lifestyle, work, and studies.