Any King’s student (part-time or full-time)  is eligible to run for an Executive role, Member-At-Large, or Board of Governor’s (BOG) Rep. To run for Arts, Science, or Journalism Rep, you must be getting a degree in the respective department. To run for Residence Rep, you live in residence. While the First Year Rep is a role meant for a first year student, first years can run for just about any position. And you should!

To get on the election ballot, you have to fill out a nomination form. You can either pick up a paper form in or outside the KSU Office (in the Link), or email our Chief Returning Officer (CRO) Olive Colwell, for a nomination package. You must read the material, complete the form, and have at least 5 King’s students sign your form (even though there is space for more). When finished, send a digital copy or scan of the completed package back to the CRO. You can reach Olive at: cro@ksu.ca.

You can start thinking about campaigning! Post on social media, make posters, hold events, and anything else you can think of. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to new people! This is your opportunity to talk to people about what they want to see from their union or what they need to see on campus. Put yourself out there, let people get to know you and what you want to do in office. Be creative, but be wary. So long as your campaign stays within the range of what the KSU Elections Procedure and the Bylaws decree (below), it’s as good as gold. Also, up to 75 campaign posters can be photocopied in the office. Don’t forget that campaigning begins AFTER the mandatory candidates meeting! 

Quorum is the minimum amount of attendance required for decisions to be made. For example, our bylaws require at least 20% of King’s students (union members) to vote in each election. Quorum ensures that the election results are the result of the will of the student body, not just a few. If quorum is not reached by the election deadline set by the Chair, the election will be extended. This has become really frequent in recent years, but the best way to avoid an extension is getting your friends to vote and if you’re running – campaign!! Posters and social media posts get the word out about you and the election.

The number one most important thing is to never step outside of the strictly defined rules laid out by the KSU Bylaws and Elections Procedure. These documents are available on this website and have been transmitted many times over in many different ways, so there’s no excuse for any transgression. Our CRO will be on the lookout for anything that is deemed insulting, unnecessarily vitriolic, offensive, smearing, or otherwise preventative of another campaign’s ability to function. You should read the Bylaws to the best of your ability, but the CRO will go over the information during the candidate’s meeting. As long as you understand your responsibilities and remain kind, you should be fine!

Also, be sure to know that you may only spend a maximum of $25 on your campaign (but printing out posters is free). When you are putting up your posters around campus, be sure to number them and write down each poster’s location, so you can take them down by midnight the day before the elections. Submit that list to the Chief Returning Officer so when they check for them the night before the elections, you’re not liable for posters that may have fallen off/thrown out, and so you know where they are yourself.

Otherwise, be as creative as you can! A good poster in good places works wonders (the Wardroom, the Galley, inside and outside Prince Hall, bathrooms, and the A&A are great places) and a funny theme or campaign slogan is effective at tying in your name with something positive. But always try to do more.  Run an event that’s endorsed by you. Really get involved, because that shows you give half a damn, and that’s something people genuinely care about.

Just don’t forget to end all campaigning by 11:59 pm the day before the elections, or all that effort might be for naught!

Crucial to any election campaign, a platform is important especially for a school that is rarely in the same place at the same time (with the occasional exception of Happy Hour in the Wardy). It helps if you come up with a list of what your policies and goals as you try to undertake your particular position. Then you can build your speech and 300-word statement. You have a five minute limit during candidate speeches, so you explain these in length. The statement is shorter and is available to voters at the election booth. Make it clear and concise but also charming and substantive. If people are going to be going to the ballots without really following the election at all, then those short sentences could make or break a vote in your favour. 

These statements are due almost immediately after the speeches, but the earlier you make these available to the Chief Returning Officer, the sooner one can post them around the school. Not having one completed is a blow to a campaign, so don’t forget this crucial last step.