Any student member of Durham SU may put themselves forward to be part of the team that campaigns for a particular position in the referendum.

Students wanting to put themselves forward must email su.elections@durham.ac.uk. The first student who puts themselves forward to campaign for a specific position will be designated as the “campaign lead” for this position. Any further students will become part of the “campaigns team” for that position.

All students who put themselves forward will be offered training and guidance on campaigning. This is to ensure the referendum is run in a fair and safe manner, and to reduce the risk of any campaign team incurring penalties for breaking any referendum rules.

Informing the SU of your intention to campaign will also ensure that each position is provided with fair and equal opportunities for promotion through Durham SU’s digital channels.

Only Durham SU’s student membership can campaign for a position. This means Durham University staff must not campaign during a  referendum unless they are also student members of Durham SU. This exception would apply, for example, to postgraduate students who also teach.

Campaigning

Role of Campaign Lead

The Campaign Lead will be the main point of contact to the Students’ Union for the campaign that they are leading.

This means that they must:

• Sincerely campaign and promote the campaign that they have signed up to
• Be accountable for the campaign to the Returning Officer and Deputy Returning Officer. Therefore, they must have a handle on the official campaign and be able to speak on its behalf.

Campaign teams

As a campaigner in the referendum, you are accountable for the conduct of all members of your campaign team and MUST properly brief your campaign teams so that they understand the referendum rules and conduct expected during the referendum period. All campaigners will be offered training before voting opens for campaign teams on referendum guidance and campaigning. 

Campaigning period

There is no official ‘start’ of campaigning in Durham SU’s referendum rules. For example, this means putting a post online or telling your student group that you’re campaigning for a position before a certain time isn’t a breach of the rules or guidance. You’re able to begin promoting your campaign whenever you would like.

We’d strongly advise you to pace your campaign so that you maintain energy to study, take care of yourself, and campaign effectively until close of ballot. We’ll offer some further guidance on this in the campaigns briefing session.

Campaign regulations and rules

There are other elections/referendum regulations across campus, because Durham has other student organisations who make their own decisions. Campaigns teams SHOULD respect local rules, but non-compliance with local regulations does not constitute a breach of Durham SU’s referendum regulations. For example, a campaign team putting up a poster on a noticeboard in a Department or College SHOULD ask permission from the owner of the noticeboard because this is respectful. A failure to do so, however, isn’t a breach of any Durham SU rule.

Rules within Common Rooms are likely very varied, and would not necessarily apply in any other Common Room or at Durham SU. It’s important to note that College spaces aren’t managed by any particular student organisation and are managed spaces generally open to all students. We’d expect Common Rooms to respect the freedom of campaigners in a referendum.

If we become aware of matters which are either not in the Returning Officer’s remit because they do not relate to the referendum, or which the Returning Officer believes is serious enough to bring to the attention of another body, we may refer these matters to an appropriate other body. This could include Durham University, the Charity Commission, or the Durham SU Trustees.

Campaign promotion

Durham SU will promote all positions in the referendum fairly.

Campaign teams may not wish to, or may not be able to, access Durham SU’s promotion. This will not prevent the promotion of other positions.

Use of student leadership resources

A referendum is a vote on a policy position, so all students are able to – and are expected to – have a view. Because students in leadership positions can't benefit personally from the outcome of a referendum, this is different to the guidance we issue during Durham SU elections. That means that during the referendum students can use resources they have access to only by virtue of a position they hold.

Any student member can advocate and campaign for any position in the referendum, using their platforms and experience in pursuit of the outcome they think best. This includes social media platforms, provided they would not be viewed as the corporate property of that common room. We expect all campaigners to use their platforms respectfully, in a way consistent with the responsibilities as a member of Durham SU and of Durham University.

If you will be campaigning for a position, you should register your campaign with su.elections@durham.ac.uk as soon as possible.
There are some exceptions to the way in which students can campaign, including, for example, the use of email lists and students who are also Durham SU staff on duty. These students aren't restricted by campaign rules, but by other rules such as data protection and contracts of employment.

It may be that an individual promoting their own view is considered inconsistent with the rules of another organisation, but Durham SU is a students' union that believes in free speech within the law. For the avoidance of doubt, no student leader provides administrative support for this referendum, and has no influence on the operations of the vote.

For information on how a Common Room may officially endorse a campaign, please see the section on endorsements below.

Posting on Social Media

• Freely accessed opportunities to post are open to all and it’s the business of the owner of the group to moderate. Durham SU groups are expected to facilitate access. Even though Durham SU has no power to require University groups, including College or Common Room groups, they are also asked to facilitate open access.
• It’s always okay for groups – Durham SU or otherwise – to promote the referendum in general, and the website.
• If a group’s owners/editors decide to only let a certain referendum position or positions post in their group, or communicate using data they control to promote a certain referendum position, then it is likely to be viewed as campaigning by the group in its own right for a particular position, rather than a general communication.
• So if group X decides to only promote position Y to their members, or only allow position Y access to the online spaces they control, then the group itself might be viewed as a campaigner for position Y. This is because the people who control the group have decided to share the messages and a request to vote for position Y rather than promote the referendum generally. The group and the campaign is then subject to the referendum rules and position Y is accountable for the conduct of this part of their campaign.
• If the campaign in question is not a Durham SU member or student group (a University staff member, or a University group, or another charity or company, for example) then their influence may be reviewed, to ensure that only Durham SU’s members are deciding this referendum. If the campaign is judged to have a material impact on Durham SU’s referendum it may be subject to the referendum’s rules.
   

EXPENSES

The total budget for each campaign running in the referendum on Common Room financial sustainability is £200.

No campaign team is permitted to spend more than £200 on their campaign, inclusive of the contribution from Durham SU. All receipts MUST be submitted by the close of ballot. The Campaign Leader will be responsible for managing their campaign's spend.

A failure to properly account for campaign expenditure, including apparent expenditure over budget, may be subject to an investigation and subsequent disciplinary action.

DATA SECURITY

Campaigning often takes place largely online, and taking care around data protection is an important part of how Durham SU assures its members that the referendum is a professional democratic exercise, and their rights are protected. Durham SU will provide training on appropriate use of data in referendum campaigning.

A failure to properly account for use of data may be subject to an investigation and subsequent disciplinary action.

ENDORSEMENTS

Durham SU supports freedom of speech on campus and encourages student leaders to play full roles in democratic events and express support for candidates and policies. No student leader has any role in staffing or regulating the referendum; professional SU staff who are required to remain non-partisan are the only people who have access to referendum systems.

Durham SU affiliated student group endorsements

Durham SU student groups may endorse a position in a referendum, provided that a properly constituted meeting or ballot of all members has made the decision to support that position. Campaigners for the endorsed position are then able to let voters know who has endorsed them. 

For the avoidance of doubt: the Committee or Executive of a Durham SU affiliated group may not make an endorsement on their own authority on behalf of their student group. Student groups may not use data resources made available to them to conduct student group activity to campaign for a particular position, including student group mailing lists or social media accounts. Doing this may be considered a breach of the referendum's rules by that campaigning position.

Common Room endorsements

If a Common Room wishes to endorse a campaign, then they must do so in a way that is consistent with their organisation’s rules. This might include a decision from their Executive Committee, a JCR Meeting, or an all-student vote within the Common Room. All of the above options are accepted by Durham SU, provided they are consistent with the rules of the Commons Room in question.

 

Please note: this guidance has been updated on 03/05/23 to ensure it is up-to-date for the latest referendum