UMSU Annual Election 2025
Annual elections, held in September, elect the leaders and representatives who will be in charge of UMSU in 2026.
Results
The declaration of results is now available:
Guide to understanding count information. Some positions are single member (only one person elected).
- If someone gets more than half the votes, they are elected.
- If no-one does, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Votes for eliminated candidates flow to second, third, etc preferences, and so forth until somone has more than half the votes.
- The count update contains distributions for all single-member positions, to the point somone has half the votes.
Some positions are multi-member (more than one person elected).
- The quota is how many votes someone needs to be elected (quota = number of votes / [ 1 + number of positions ] ).
- If a candidate has a quota of votes, they are elected. All their votes are redistributed (following voter preferences) to candidates yet to be elected or eliminated. These redistributed votes have a reduced value (as some of the vote is “used up” electing that candidate).
- If no candidate has a quota, the candidate with fewest votes is eliminated. Their votes are redistributed, following voter preferences.
- The process continues until enough candidates are elected.
This information is a summary only. The full count process, including the application of affirmative action, is laid out in the Regulations.
More 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.
- 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.
More information on complaints.
- Did someone watch you while you voted, or take your phone? This is a serious breach of the Electoral Regulations, which we take seriously. Please make a complaint.
Table of contents
List of nominations
The list of nominations is now available.
How to vote
Voting has closed.
Campaign rules
Campaigners are entitled to put their position to voters, and they can approach you or speak to you on campus in much the same way that any other person can. If you say you’re not interested, we would expect campaigners to honour that.
The following summarises some of the most important rules in the elections:
- Your vote is secret. Campaigners can make their pitch to you, and give you a pamphlet of instructions of how to vote for them, but they cannot: remain in your presence while you vote, take your device to vote for you, or watch you while you vote. (If you need help voting, come to one of our polling help points.)
- Campaigners must show student ID while campaigning, usually by wearing their student ID on a lanyard.
- Election material must say who is responsible for it. All candidate publicity, whether printed on paper, shared on social media, or posted somewhere, must carry an authorisation line saying “Published by [name and student ID]”.
- Campaigners should respect you and your personal space. While campaigners will be very keen to get their pamphlet into your hands, they shouldn’t act in a way that’s intimdating, and they shouldn’t gang up on you.
- Campaigning is prohibited in libraries, and buildings containing a polling help point.
- Resources of UMSU and the University can’t be used for campaign purposes except to the extent they are available to all students. (For example, a public noticeboard can be used to post campaign publicity, because all students can use it. The social media page of an official UMSU department can’t be used to campaign, because that would unfairly advantage current departmental members.)
- Clubs and elections. Clubs are allowed to endorse candidates or tickets during the election and send up to two email messages to their membership promoting that endorsement.
Complaints: if something goes wrong
If someone breaks a rule, we are responsible for investigating and determining what penalty, if any, is appropriate. Penalties can include warnings, bans from campaigning, bans applied to an entire ticket, and more. In serious cases, candidates can also be referred to the Electoral Tribunal for disqualification.
- If you see something you think breaks a rule: the easiest way to get in touch is by email (returningofficer@union.unimelb.edu.au). Our phone number, and where you can see us in person, are available with our contact details below.
- If someone watches you while you vote, or forces you to vote for them, we can cancel your vote and offer you the opportunity to revote. Please email us with as many details as you can remember.
- Club platforms are generally regulated by that club. Our role is to ensure that the club validly decided to endorse candidates/tickets (for example, by its committee) and that its promotional material is validly authorised (carries the “Published by ...” line), and if you think this has not happened, you can contact us about it. Otherwise, the complaint is best directed to the club.
Progressive turnout
- At 6pm, 1 September 2025: 1 284
- At 6.15pm, 2 September 2025: 2 553
- At 6.20pm, 3 September 2025: 3 817
- At 6.05pm, 4 September 2025: 4 806
Notice of Election
Notice is hereby given of the 2025 University of Melbourne Student Union annual elections. This annual election also incorporates by-elections for casual vacancies for the 2025 term of office.
The election will be held from the 1st–5th September, 2025.
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)
2025 Byelection
Note: These positions are 2025 positions that are vacant. Successful candidates will fill the positions for the remainder of the 2025 term of office (until 30 November 2025).
- Indigenous Committee (6 to elect)
- Burnley Committee (2 to elect)
A list of positions, role descriptions, and current officeholders is also available.
Nominations (how to be a candidate)
Nominations closed at 12noon (Melbourne time) on Friday, 8th August 2025. No late nominations can be accepted.
More information for candidates is available and we encourage you to read it carefully. This includes a summary of the eligibility requirements for specific positions, information about tickets, links to election forms, guidance for candidate photos and other information of interest to 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.
Information about tickets is available on the candidate information page.
Ticket registrations closed at 12noon on Friday 8th August 2025.
Timetable
The election timetable will be updated throughout the election period.
- Monday, 21st July
- Formal notice of elections given
- Opening of nominations
- Opening of ticket registration
- 5.30pm, Tuesday 29th July
- Prospective candidates’ information session — Room 2.02, Building 168
- 12noon, Friday 8th 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.
- 1.30pm, Monday 11th August
- Draw for ballot order, Room 406, Building 168
- 11.59pm, Monday 11th August
- Deadline: candidate photograph submission
- Deadline: ticket “order of candidates” forms
- Deadline: declarations of eligibility for certain positions
- 6pm, Tuesday 26th August
- Pre-election week information session
- Monday 1st September – Friday 5th September
Election regulations
The election takes place under the auspices of the UMSU Constitution, Regulations, policy and procedures, in particular, the Electoral Regulations.
Rulings
The following written rulings have been made by the Returning Officer:
- Ruling 1 — club endorsements, bulk messaging, phonebanking, adhesives used in postering
- Ruling 2 — campaigning in colleges and student accommodation
Returning Officer
The Returning Officer is responsible for managing the election. In 2025, UMSU has appointed Stephen Luntz of Above Quota Elections as Returning Officer. Patrick Clearwater has been appointed as Deputy Returning Officer.
Complaints: complaints about the conduct of the elections, or the candidates in it, can be made to the Returning Officer (below).
Office hours
We no longer have office hours, but we are available by appointment.
Contact details
The best contact for the Returning Officer is returningofficer@union.unimelb.edu.au. If you wish to contact a specific official, see below.