Hosting an Online Election via Survey Platform

You can also arrange your committee election to take place via a survey platform. This is useful when you’re unable to get enough of your members in a room or on a call to complete an AGM. Please make sure you follow the guidance carefully.

Step 1: Announce your election and open nominations

• Contact all your members to announce your committee elections and the position available. You should send an email to all your registered members.
• Registered members can nominate themselves to stand in your election.
• You should open nominations for a minimum of 7 working days.

Step 2: Choose a Survey Platform

• Select a reliable survey platform like SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, or Microsoft Forms. Ensure the platform supports features like single-response submissions and anonymity.

Step 3: Create the Election Survey

• Design the Ballot: Create a survey with multiple-choice questions for each position. List the candidates as answer choices. You should ensure Re Open Nominations (R.O.N) is an option to be selected for every position.
• Instructions: Include clear instructions at the beginning of the survey on how to vote.
• Anonymity: Ensure the survey settings allow for anonymous responses to maintain voter privacy.

Step 4: Set Up Security Measures

• Unique Links: Use unique survey links or email invitations to ensure each member can vote only once.
• Access Control: Restrict access to the survey to your membership list to prevent unauthorised voting

Step 4: Communicate with Members

• Email Notification: Send an email to your full and up-to-date membership list with the survey link and voting instructions. CC the relevant contacts:
  • SUCommunities@city.ac.uk (societies Clerkenwell & Moorgate)
  • sports@city.ac.uk (sports clubs)
  • studentsunion@sgul.ac.uk (societies Tooting)
• Promotion: Promote the election on your social media pages to ensure maximum participation.

Step 5: Monitor and Collect Votes

• Voting Window: Set a clear start and end date for the voting period.
• Monitor Participation: Keep track of responses to ensure a good turnout.

Step 6: Analyse and Announce Results

• Analyse Results: Use the survey platform's analytics tools to count votes and determine the winners
• Announce Results: Communicate the results to your members via email and social media. Ensure transparency by sharing the number of votes each candidate received.

Step 7: Submit Election Results

• Submission: Submit the election results to the students’ union using the results submission form provided by your institution.

Top tip: If you’re holding another online election (e.g Google Form) you should ensure that your members cannot see each other’s votes.