Nominations for Bristol SU elections open

By James Lewis, Co Editor-in-Chief

Nominations for Bristol’s SU elections are now open. The elections, taking place in March, is the largest democratic event of the year for Bristol SU. The results will shape how the SU governs for the next year at least.  

All seven Full-time Officer roles (FTO) are up for re-nomination. Five of the current FTOs have served their maximum two year term, which means there will be at least five fresh faces on the fifth floor of Senate House. Students are required to pause their studies to do these paid, full-time jobs. You can see the full list of FTO positions here. 

Beyond the FTO roles, there are other positions also up for election. These include Course and Faculty Reps, Student Community Organisers, members of the Democratic Standards Committee, the Chair of Student Council, and new Student Trustees of the SU. These are unpaid, voluntary roles that students will do alongside their studies. For more detailed information on these roles, visit the Bristol SU website. 

Nominations opened on Monday 26 January and will close at midday on Friday 20 February. Students must nominate themselves for a position. Nominees need to submit a 300-word personal statement explaining why they’d make a good candidate.

The SU are running ‘Candidate Academy workshops’ throughout the first two weeks of February for anyone who might be interested in running for election. These sessions will cover what exactly the positions really are. Aspiring candidates can also book a one to one call with a member of the SU’s Elections Team.

Beth Eyre, Liberation and Campaigns Manager at Bristol SU, told Epigram:

‘It is a rare opportunity that your interview for a job is a public election that's decided by the people you'll be representing – the development opportunity from just producing your own campaign will standout on a CV and you’ll be given all the support you need along the way!’

Those who are standing for election will be announced on Friday 6 March, and they will begin campaigning on Monday 9 March – when voting opens – until voting closes on Thursday 12 March at nine pm. The results will be announced at an event on campus on Friday 14 March. 

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Students will also be asked to vote on whether Bristol SU should remain affiliated to the National Union of Students (NUS). The question being asked is, Should Bristol SU be affiliated to the National Union of Students (NUS UK)?, and will be decided in a Yes or No vote. If Bristol were to exit (our very own Brexit) they would join a number of other SU’s who have left in recent years, including Cambridge SU in October 2025. 

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By Teoman Sevgen, Second year, Law LLB ‘Why does it even matter?’ is a canon question I get whenever SU elections are brought up to my close circle. ‘It’s a popularity contest’ or ‘They’re all careerists!’ is usually followed right after. However, just as ’there are cathedrals everywhere

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Last year, 9,212 students voted in the elections. 29.3 per cent of students voted, making it one of the best turnouts at an SU election in the country.  

When voting time rolls around, expect yellow banners strewn across campus, and voting students carrying thyme plants to their lectures.

Featured image: Epigram / Frankie Curtis

Will you be nominating yourself this year?