Elections

Want to learn more about KSU elections?

Read our FAQ below!

Fall 2026 Elections

A message from the CRO:

The results of the fall election are as follows:

President:
Ella Mowbray Chriske 217
Re-Open Nominations 19

Student Life Vice President:
Clara Easley 222
Re-Open Nominations 15

Communications Vice President:
Anna Carsley-Jones. 151
Brenna O'Regan 73
Re-Open Nominations 7

Advocacy Representative:
Lucy d’Anjou 162
Kay Nelson 68
Re-Open Nominations 5

Member at Large Representative:
Georgia Rose Becklumb 226
Re-Open Nominations 9

From October 12th, 8:00 am until October 19th at 7:00 pm, KSU members will be able to vote on candidates for the following positions:

1. President
2. Student Life Vice President
3. Communications Vice President
4. Advocacy Representative
5. Member at Large Representative

How To Vote

visit: https://vote.electionrunner.com/election/cqqxw

when logging in to vote, you will be prompted to enter the following information:

1. Voter ID: Your Student Number ("B00" number)
2. Voter Key: Your Year of Birth

Results will be posted on the KSU Elections Website Page and on the KSU Instagram by 10pm on October 19th. Students can also expect to receive an email with the election results on the following day.

If you have any questions or experience difficulties with the online voting process, please reach out to deneige, your services and campaigns coordinator at coordinator@ksu.ca or to Amelia, your CRO at cro@ksu.ca

Key Dates

Monday September 28th Nominations open
Sunday October 4th Nominations close at 7pm
Monday October 5th* All-candidates meeting, on Zoom, time TBD based on availability
Monday October 5th Campaigning starts (post-meeting)
Thursday October 8th* Candidate speeches, in Wardroom, time TBD
Friday October 9th Campaigning ends at 11:59pm
Monday October 12th First day of voting
Monday October 19th Last day of voting
Monday October 19th Election results, 10pm

Candidates and Platforms

President

The President is responsible for overseeing the executive members, union-hired positions, and the daily operations of the Union. The President also represents students in meetings and communications with King’s, such as when sitting on the Wardy and Galley advisory boards, King’s committees, and the King’s Board of Governors (King’s highest decision-making body).

Ella Mowbray Chriske

My name is Ella, and I’m a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Journalism combined with contemporary studies, with a minor in film.

While completing FYP, I was the residence rep, where I helped raise awareness about Cochran Bay renovations, getting it included in the Welcome Project. I also wrote an 11-page document representing students' concerns about changes made to the FYP Reading List. In my second year, I joined the executives as SLVP, organizing student supports like free drives to the airport and sitting on King’s Financial Stabilization Committee.

During my first campus visit, I knew King’s was the place for me. I haven’t always had an environment that I felt reflected me, so when I was given one through King’s, it became a priority of mine to foster a space where other students could have the same experience. Right now, King’s is in a stage of expansion, with a new president, a public push for funding, and a growing list of academic programs. I want to make sure that students remain the focus of these conversations.

It is the president’s job to advocate for and represent the student body. Based on my experience, I understand KSU’s relationship to King’s. I have experience sitting on King’s boards, talking to students, and working as part of a team. I would love the chance to continue doing my part for King’s.

Outside of King’s, I am likely to be found attempting to perfect lentil soup, writing a Letterboxd review, or attempting to finish a book on my to-be-read list.

Student Life Vice President

The Student Life Vice President focuses on campus student life, including societies, athletics, academics, and residence. The SLVP organizes training for societies looking to be ratified and represents students’ concerns as a member of King’s Academic and Residence Committees.

Clara Easley

As Student Life Vice President, I will prioritize actions, events, and initiatives that directly benefit students at King’s.

Direct communication with students and societies is crucial, and I plan to collect data from students regarding their needs that are not currently being met by the current societies list, the KSU, and the institution as a whole.

My long-term goals include revitalizing the Day Students Society so that it may continue to serve day students for many years to come. I also intend to coordinate with the External Vice President and the liaisons for both the Disabled Students Collective and Racialized Students Collective to further expand the reach of our invaluable resource centres.

In the short-term, I will launch several information campaigns designed to further inform students about the process for ratifying societies and their rights as Student Union Members. I plan to coordinate with other members of the KSU and launch an information campaign surrounding how the university spends the tuition of students, increasing financial literacy and encouraging transparency throughout the organization.

With these goals in mind, I also have several small action items that I’d like to implement that I believe will create meaningful change for students. I hope to implement a simple process for students who require drives to the airport during reading weeks or vacation to request such a service. I also plan to run and promote events supporting international students at King’s.

It’s important for me to add that while these are my goals at the beginning of my campaign, I remain firm in my pledge to prioritize that which will serve the student body the most—that includes being open to concerns, requests, and ideas from the greater student body. I’m excited to connect with students and find out what will most benefit our King’s community and where my time will be best spent.

Thank you!

Communications Vice President

Anna Carsley-Jones

I am a 5th year student who cares deeply about contributing to a connected and empowered student community. I have worked for the KSU previously as Chief Returning Officer (Sept 2023- April 2024), Student Life VP(Oct 2024- Feb 2025), and External VP (Feb-Aug 2025) - and am eager to work on the executive team one last time before I graduate.

As CVP, it will be my role to maintain regular communication with union members (aka the student body), chair the union's Bylaw Review Committee (BRC), and advocate for students alongside my executive and councillor colleagues. Below are some of my goals & promises:

I am committed to finding methods of communication that you find helpful, accessible and engaging so that you can feel a) up to date with KSU decisions and events and b) encouraged to ask questions, give honest feedback, and be involved with the KSU (because this union is YOUR union!).
I want to engage with you at Bylaw Review Committee meetings and at General Meetings about Bylaw amendments, so that any changes made are informed by students’ interpretations. With all committee members, I aim to review the Bylaws with a critical eye, and propose amendments so that these governing rules are reasonable and comprehensive.
I will listen to student ideas and implement them in my work or, if beyond my scope, advocate fiercely for their implementation by the relevant decision-makers (staff, faculty, admin, board of governors, etc.).

Being involved in student organizing has been a crucial part of my post-secondary experience and I am consistently moved by the ingenuity, compassion and courage of fellow students; it is my sincere intent to reflect these qualities as one of your elected representatives. Solidarity forever & thank you.

Brenna O’Regan

Brenna plans to ensure that students have access to the information around what the union is doing. She wants to make sure students feel like they understand what the union is doing and where and who they can talk to about what the union is doing. She plans to make sure students are aware of what other societies are doing as well. Overall, Brenna wants to be a person students can turn to when they need information about what the union is doing, events other societies are doing, or to be there for students to talk about issues they want solved by the union. She wants to make sure the bylaws are update and are able to properly function for the union and for students success. She wants to continue to have a strong kings community, and one way to do that is to ensure students are well aware of what their union is doing, how it affects them, and being available for students to come to with issues or ideas about what the union could do better. Trust between the union and the students relies on good communication from the union, something Brenna strives to provide so everyone can be properly informed about the union, and can be properly informed on how they can be involved. Brenna wants to be a touch point for students to go to about what they need and want from their union, and she wants to make sure they know what the union is working on and what the union plans to do to make kings a better, safer, and more enjoyable place for everyone.

Advocacy Representative

The Advocacy Rep represents the interests and concerns of all Union members, with specific efforts of actively advocating for students who are underrepresented in the King’s community, and engaging with students and student groups that serve particular student communities. The Advocacy Rep also provides recommendations to Council of reputable organizations that the Union may desire to donate to.

Lucy d’Anjou

Hi, I'm Lucy, and I'm so excited to run for the position of Advocacy Representative!

Over the past two years of high school, I had the opportunity to work as an elected Diversity Equity and Inclusions Representative on student council and a nominated leader in the queer community. The school I attended was an incredibly diverse, international school, consisting of 200 students from over 90 countries. Interacting with so many different people taught me a valuable lesson about advocacy: being a true advocate is not just about fighting for the issues you care about, but about listening to and uplifting voices that are different from your own.

The King's student body already has a culture of fighting for social justice, from student strikes to an active BSU to ongoing discussions about politics. However, it's often the same voices and perspectives that are amplified. My platform is focused on including voices that traditionally get left out. Along with office hours, I will send out google forms with surveys that provide the opportunity to give suggestions in order to make voicing advocacy concerns more accessible.

When advocating for organizations for the KSU to support, I will focus on charities that are smaller, youth-oriented, and focused on intersectionality underprivileged groups. One example is the Soaring Eagle Fund, which provides grants to young, queer artists. Rural youth typically have less access to grants, resources and support. This cause is an example of amplifying a group that often gets left out of discussion.

I will also make an effort to reach out to and consult people who would have different experiences than me, such as people of colour, people with neurodivergencies, and other accessibility issues.

Ultimately, my goal is to uplift all voices as King's students continue to fight for social justice.

Kay Nelson

My main focus this year is on the student strike, as well as the note-taking program:

I have been working closely with the BOG Representative to try and get a survey out to all King's students to better understand what makes them feel most safe and supported. I won't always know how to best help students at this school, but I hope to be a good open ear.

The student strike last year lost a lot of student trust in the union, and was fairly divisive within the king's community. I'm in conversation right now with the KSU as well as the strike organizers to help better manage strike and protest goals at King's specifically.

Member at Large Representative

The Member-at-Large represents the interest of all King’s students, sits on the finance committee, and has a meeting with the KSU executive once per month.

Georgia Rose Becklumb

My name is Georgia Rose Becklumb. I’m a third-year history student. In my free time I enjoy baking and singing in the King’s Chapel.

If elected, I will work within the KSU council to . . .

Improve engagement with union members

For example, the union shouldn't advertise that a strike is happening before discussing the possibility of a strike with the student body
Make resources easier to find

The link to the health and dental insurance log-in page should be easy to find on the KSU website
We could make zines about how to start a society and get funding, instead of making students wade through policy pdfs and google forms
Reassess the usefulness of KSU bureaucracy

We could talk to society executives about the policies they have to navigate. Are parts of the policy unreasonably cumbersome? Could we have more manageable policies and procedures that still protect financial transparency and rights and freedoms of the student body?
We could have sub-pages on the website explaining important parts of policy in common language, with pleasant formatting
Improve communication between the KSU and other campus bodies

We could coordinate with campus supports to combine the KSU O-Week campus tour with the Know Your Rights lecture—bringing first years to the offices where the support people are waiting, available to explain their roles and answer questions in a smaller group setting.

Making participation in the union and union services easy and improving communication are the key first steps to building a union with the capacity to fight for big changes. We need to get the KSU in order so we can take full advantage of what we already have, coherently decide as a student body what changes we need, and organize effectively to make it happen.

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 the Chief Returning Officer (CRO) 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 the CRO 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.

King’s Student Union Executive and Councillor Positions

Executive Positions

The Executive Committee members are responsible to support the entire student body, and they work to keep the union functioning on a day-to-day basis. They are expected to attend and report at bi-weekly Council meetings. Executive members are paid and hold (min.) 5 office hours per week.

President

This role requires an understanding of the union structure and its bylaws, and is for anyone dedicated to ensuring the day-to-day functioning of the union, as well as serving as a direct liaison with King’s.

External Vice President

The External Vice President is the link between King’s students and external community organizations. The EVP works with groups like South House, NSPIRG, and Divest Dal to host events and campaigns on campus. They represent our Union on the Canadian Federation of Students NS (CFSNS) Executive, and sit on the King’s Investment Committee.

This role is for anyone passionate about community building, learning about King’s investments, and advocating for student needs on and off campus!

Financial Vice President

The Financial Vice President is reponsible for the finances of the Union, which isn’t as scary as it sounds! The FVP creates the Union budget, oversees the Galley and Wardy finances and sits on their advisory committees, and chairs the Finance Committee to approve society fundings requests.

You don’t need to study accounting to run; this role is for anyone who is reliable, cares about our student businesses, can read a spreadsheet, and wants to learn!

Communications Vice President

The Communications Vice President is in charge of communicating to general Union members about events, services, and Council decisions. They are responsible for making This Week at King’s (a weekly newsletter advertising societies and Union events), updating the KSU website and chalkboard, posting and responding to messages on social media, and chairing the Bylaw Review Committee. This role is for anyone who enjoys connecting with fellow students, knows or wants to learn about the KSU structure and update it to fit our needs, and wants to have fun making Canva graphics, posters, and posts!

Student Life Vice President

You don’t have to live on campus to be the SLVP; this role is for anyone who wants to advocate for students’ needs on campus, work with societies, and help make student life fun!

Council Positions

Council members are the governing body of the Union, voting on and directing Union decisions. Council members are not paid, attend Council every other week on Sundays at 10am, and hold 1 office hour per week. All Council members submit a report, no later than March 31, which records the activities and projects they worked on that academic year.

Academic Representative

The Academic Rep represents the interests and concerns of Bachelor of Arts, Journalism, Music, and Science, with a special effort to inform and involve these students in the King’s community. One way they do this is through chairing the KSU Academic Committee.

The Academic Rep also sits on any other external academic committees such as but not limited to:

Dalhousie Arts and Social Sciences Society (DASSS)
King’s Journalism Society (KJS)
The Dalhousie Science Society (DSS)
Society of Dalhousie Music Students (SDMS)

Requirement: must be a Bachelor of Arts, Journalism, Music or Science student!

Advocacy Representative

Residence Representative

The Residence Rep represents the interests of King’s students living on campus. They sit on University committees like the Standing Committee on Student Life and the Dining Services Advisory Committee. This role is great for those who live in residence and are passionate about making res life at King’s as safe, fun, and accessible as possible.

Requirement: must live on campus themself!

Athletics Representative

The role of the Athletics Rep is to facilitate communications between the King’s athletic department and the union, promote athletic events, attend athletic events, and more!

Board of Governor’s Representative (2)

The Board of Governor’s Representatives sit on the university’s BOG as student representatives, alongside the KSU President. This role is great for those who care about university decisions and shaping the future direction of the university.

First Year Representative

The First Year Representative represents the interests and concerns of first-year students, and will inform and involve these students in the King’s community. The First Year Representative sits on the Academic Committee and creates the official Foundation Year Programme T-Shirts.

Member-at-Large

The Member-at-Large represents the interest of all King’s students, sits on the finance committee, and has a meeting with the KSU executive once per month. This role helps keep all branches of the KSU operating smoothly and is great for those who wish to advocate for the whole student community!

Elections

Fall 2026 Elections

Key Dates

Candidates and Platforms

What can I run for?

How do I run?

I've handed in my nomination form, now what?

What's election quorum? What happens if we don't reach it during the election?

How do I run an effective campaign?

How do I write a platform?

King’s Student Union Executive and Councillor Positions

Executive Positions

Council Positions

King’s Student Union

Contact Us :)