Tips and Advice for Campaigning in the OU Students Association Elections
We know that running campaigns to communicate with OU students who are spread across the country and across the world can be a challenge. Because of the remote nature of our student population, your campaign will likely need to be run online, using digital tools and platforms to get your campaign messaging into the consciousness of your fellow students.
Below are tips and advice that may help you to make a start:
- Create a Strong Online Presence: Establish profiles on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn dedicated to your campaign. Use consistent branding and messaging across all platforms.
- Craft a Compelling Message: Develop a clear and concise message that highlights who you are and your vision and priorities for students and the Students Association. Make sure your message resonates with your target audience and addresses their concerns.
- Engage with Voters: Actively engage with your fellow students on social media and university forums. Respond to comments, answer questions, and participate in discussions to show that you are accessible and approachable. (Be respectful and be careful not to spam forums and social media spaces though!)
- Use a variety of multimedia content such as videos, infographics, and memes to capture attention and communicate your message effectively. Visual content tends to be more engaging and shareable.
- Focus on Issues: Prioritise discussing key issues that matter to the student body and are relevant to the role that you are standing for… if you’re not sure refer to your role description. Offer practical solutions and demonstrate how you will address these issues if elected.
- Stay Positive and Respectful: Maintain a positive and respectful tone in all your interactions, even when faced with criticism or opposition. Avoid engaging in negative campaigning or personal attacks against opponents. If you are concerned about someone’s conduct, email oustudents-elections@open.ac.uk.
- Follow the Rules and Guidelines: Familiarise yourself with the election rules set by the Students Association. Ensure that your campaign activities comply with these regulations to avoid any penalties or disqualifications. Remember, once you are a candidate in our elections, you are representing the OU Students Association, so you mustn’t do anything that brings the OU Students Association into disrepute.
- Encourage Voter Participation: Motivate your peers to participate in the election by emphasising the importance of their vote in shaping the future of the Students Association.
Here are some spaces you can campaign in:
- Social media: There are many OU student groups that exist on Facebook and Discord that you can find with a simple search. Once you’ve located these group, request permission from the owner of the space to post your content. If they agree, be respectful and don’t repeatedly post. This may result in the owner of the space removing you.
- The Open University forums: Although we are not hosting official election forums for these elections, you can still use the forums to campaign. You can start your own threads and explain who you are and invite your fellow students to engage with you and ask you any questions they have. Remember to stay positive and use this space to promote yourself rather than attacking your fellow candidates.
- After candidates are announced on 9 April, you will be able to submit a blog post to our online student magazine, The Hoot, in relation to your campaign. You can choose to post your manifesto, or a short article about who you are and why you’re standing for election. We will publish just one post per election candidate and it is up to you to take advantage of this opportunity.
President and Deputy President candidates will receive a question on April 9th that they can submit a 2-minute video response to. We will post the video responses we receive on our website and in an article on The Hoot.
Please note that most of the spaces that you will campaign in are not spaces that we are able to monitor and police. However, the election rules and our Values and Behaviour Policy will still apply should any misconduct occur in those spaces.
Additionally, we are unable to post individual candidates’ content to OU Students Association social media spaces as we must remain impartial. We will be focusing our communications throughout this period on promoting voter engagement with elections though.
Finally, we advise that you do not launch you campaigns until we have announced the candidates for the elections on April 9th.
By following these tips and advice, you can run a successful online campaign and effectively connect with your fellow students to earn their support.
If you have any questions or concerns, check the election page on our website first, and if you’re still not sure, email us at oustudents-elections@open.ac.uk.