UMSU Annual Election 2023
Annual elections are being held to elect leaders and representatives who will be in charge of UMSU in 2024.
Results
We have made a provisional declaration of results for all positions:
Results for Clubs & Societies Committee
The results for the election the the Clubs & Societies Committee (which is conducted by the Clubs & Societies Council) are available:
Information for voters
The UMSU elections have now finished.
More useful information:
- What’s this all about? The University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU) is an organisation run by students, for students. It undertakes a wide range of advocacy and services. Each year an election chooses who’ll be in charge next year.
- Want to know who to vote for? The Farrago election guide has you covered: the election guide has policy statements and photos submitted by candidates. (Fine print: The statements are as submitted by close of nominations, and we don’t fact check or edit them in any way, other than cutting them off at the word limit.) You’ll also see campaigners around uni spruiking for your vote. We’ve also published a list of nominations.
- Got a complaint? The elections are covered by the Electoral Regulations which set out rules on what campaigners can and can’t do. If you have a complaint, please contact the Returning Officer with as much detail as you can, and we’ll investigate. Complaints are taken seriously and if substantiated, penalties up to and including referral to the Electoral Tribunal for disqualification, or a referral to the University under the Student Conduct Policy, are possible.
More information on complaints.
- Did someone take your phone, or watch you while you voted? This is a serious breach of the Electoral Regulations, which we take seriously. Please make a complaint, and we can cancel and re-issue your vote.
- Who runs the election? The election is run by an independent Returning Officer, unaffiliated with any of the candidates/tickets and separate from either UMSU or the University. This year the Returning Officer is Stephen Luntz of Above Quota Elections.
Table of contents
Provisional list of nominations
The provisional list of nominations is now available:
The list includes provisional declarations for candidates running unopposed.
The list is in ballot paper order, following a random draw to determine the order candidates will appear. The list will continue to receive updates as we receive further information and process withdrawals.
Polling help points
This year we are running six Polling Help Points across the Parkville, Southbank and Burnley campuses.
Each polling help point includes a helpful poll clerk who can answer your questions, and we provide devices for you to vote if you’d prefer. (Note that when using our devices, you will still need to have your phone/device for the University’s multi-factor authentication. This is a University of Melbourne cybersecurity requirement.)
Polling place timetable:
| |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Building 168
level 1 (near Info) |
10am–5pm |
10am–6.30pm |
10am–5pm |
10am–5pm |
10am–5pm |
Baillieu Library
(foyer) |
noon–4pm |
11am–4pm |
11.30am–4.30pm |
noon–4pm |
noon–4pm |
FBE Building
(near the Spot) |
11am–3pm |
|
|
11am–3pm |
11am–3pm |
Murrup Barak
(Indigenous student services) |
|
11.30am–2.30pm |
11.30am–2.30pm |
|
|
Southbank — the Hub Library
Foyer near west entrance |
|
11am–3pm |
11am–3pm |
11am–3pm |
|
| Burnley — cafeteria |
|
1pm–4pm |
|
noon–3pm |
|
The polling places are required by the Electoral Regulations. For the avoidance of doubt, Polling Help Points are Polling Places within the meaning of Electoral Regulations 44.5 and 49, and are Polling Booths within the meaning of Electoral Regulation 28.
Rulings by the Returning Officer
The Returning Officer has made the following rulings:
Notice of Election
Notice is hereby given of the 2023 University of Melbourne Student Union annual elections. This annual election also incorporates by-elections for casual vacancies for the 2023 term of office.
The election will be held from the 4th–8th September, 2023.
The notice of election is available as a PDF.
List of positions
The following positions are open for election.
Officer positions
- President
- General Secretary
- Education (Academic Affairs) Officer
- Education (Public Affairs) Officer
- Welfare Officer
- Women’s Officer
- Creative Arts Officer
- Activities Officer
- Queer Officer
- Environment Officer
- Media Officers
- Clubs & Societies Officer
- Indigenous Officer
- Disabilities Officer
- People of Colour Officer
Students’ Council — voting representatives
- General representative (15 to elect)
- Representative for Graduate Students
- Representative for Indigenous Students
- Representative for International Students
- Representative for Queer Students
- Representative for Students of Colour
- Representative for Students with Disabilities
- Representative for Southbank Students
Committee members
Each committee elects 7 members.
- Activities Committee
- Creative Arts Committee
- Disabilities Committee
- Education Committee
- Environment Committee
- Indigenous Committee
- People of Colour Committee
- Queer Committee
- Welfare Committee
- Women’s Committee
Southbank campus positions
- Southbank Students Campus Co-ordinator
- Southbank Activities Officer
- Southbank Education Officer
- Southbank Students Committee (7 to elect)
Burnley campus positions
- Burnley Campus Co-ordinator
- Burnley Students Committee (7 to elect)
National Union of Students
- National Union of Students delegate (7 to elect)
2023 Byelection
Note: These positions are 2023 positions that are vacant. Successful candidates will fill the positions for the remainder of the 2023 term of office (until 30 November 2023).
- Indigenous students’ representative on Students’ Council
- Indigenous Committee member (5 to elect)
- Southbank Campus Committee member (3 to elect)
- Burnley Campus Committee member (3 to elect)
- Disabilities Officer*
* This position is currently temporarily filled until results are declared from the Byelection.
A list of positions, role descriptions, and current officeholders is also available.
Nominations (how to be a candidate)
All general members of UMSU are entitled to run for elections. Nominations were due by 12noon (Melbourne time) on Friday, 11th August 2023. This deadline is strict and cannot be extended. We have a dedicated page with information for candidates.
Tickets
A group of fifteen or more members seeking election on a common platform may apply to register a ticket name and be set out on the ballot under the ticket’s name.
How to vote
This year, elections will be held online. You’ll receive a link in your student email on Monday, 4th September, which you can use to vote. Voting will open at 10am that day. Your vote must be received by 5pm (Melbourne time), Friday 8th September. Voting isn’t possible outside this time.
All students enrolled in higher education award courses are eligible to vote in the elections.
As the elections are being held online, postal votes are not offered this year.
Getting help voting
If you have questions about voting, you can contact the Returning Officer for assistance.
During the election, we will be running polling help points on the Parkville, Southbank and Burnley campuses.
Timetable
The election timetable will be updated throughout the election period.
- Monday, 24th July
- Formal notice of elections given
- Opening of nominations
- Opening of ticket registration
- 6pm, Thursday, 3rd August
- 12noon, Friday 11th August
- Deadline: close of nominations, including complete policy statements and conflict of position forms
- Deadline: ticket registrations including ticket policy statements
- Note these deadlines are written into the Electoral Regulations strictly and therefore cannot be extended.
- 11.59pm, Monday 14th August
- Deadline: candidate photograph submission
- Deadline: ticket “order of candidates” forms
- Deadline: declarations of eligibility for certain positions
- 2pm, Thursday 17th August
- Draw for order of candidates and tickets on ballot
- 5.30pm, Wednesday 30th August
- Candidates’ Information Session, Saloon Bar, Clyde Hotel
- Monday 4th September – Friday 8th September
- Polling week
- Polling opens 10am Monday
- Polling closes 5pm (Melbourne time) Friday. This deadline is strict.
Election regulations
The election takes place under the auspices of the UMSU Constitution, Regulations, policy and procedures, in particular, the Electoral Regulations.
Returning Officer
The Returning Officer is responsible for managing the election. In 2023, UMSU has appointed Stephen Luntz of Above Quota Elections as Returning Officer. Patrick Clearwater and Jaimie Adam have been appointed as Deputy Returning Officers.
Returning Officer email address
Complaints
The election takes place under the Electoral Regulations, which all participants are obliged to adhere to. The Returning Officer can act on complaints of breaches of Electoral Regulations and can impose a range of penalties
If you want to make a complaint, emailing us (below) is the best way to ensure your complaint is acted on promptly. Please include as much detail as possible (description of breach, date, time, names of anyone involved, etc). Complaints can be made by students, staff or members of the community. You can remain anonymous when making a complaint, but this will limit our ability to inform you of progress.
The Electoral Regulations contain full details on appropriate conduct. The following are undoubtedly prohibited:
- Campaigners asking to take, or taking, your phone and voting for you, or standing near you while you vote, or looking over your shoulder while you vote
- In this case, we are able to cancel your original vote and offer you the ability to revote. Please get in touch
- Campaigners approaching you with a device and inviting you to vote
- Any campaigning in a building with a Polling Place in it, including any level of Building 168
- Making misleading statements, or engaging in conduct that is sexist, racist, homophobic, abelist, militaristic intimidation or abuse
- Campaigning other than by current students
All permitted campaign material carries the name and student number of the student who takes responsibility for it, and the words “Registered with the Returning Officer”.
Note: The Returning Officer can only deal with issues encompassed by the Electoral Regulations. For issues outside that scope, please refer to the University’s Safer Community programme.
Office hours
The Returning Officer’s office is Room 405 (level 4), Building 168 on the Parkville campus. If you’d like to speak to one of us in person, please make an appointment by email (below). We will staff the office regularly during election week, but due to operational commitments can’t provide any times we are guaranteed to be available there.
Contact details
The Returning Officer can be contacted at returningofficer@union.unimelb.edu.au.