Nominations for the 2026/27 Student Elections opens on Monday 5th January 2026!
Keep an eye on our socials and emails to learn more about what it means to become an Elected Officer!
Will you be running?
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What are the Student Elections?
Be honest with yourself - Do you know what Elections are or what an Elected Officer does? You may already know quite a lot, or you might know nothing at all but either way, we expect that you have questions. Not everything you hear or think you know is always right so let’s find out more!
The Student Elections is the democratic process where students (that's you!) vote for the people that will lead The Union and represent the student body for the coming year.
Any student studying a course at the University of Portsmouth can run in the elections including postgraduate, international and part-time students. Any Elected Officer will be expected to uphold the Students’ Union values and fairly represent the whole student body.
Key Dates
Nominations Open: 5th January 2026
Nominations Close: 27th February 2026
Candidate Academy: w/c March 2nd 2026
Manifesto Deadline: March 9th 1pm
Voting Opens: 16th March 2026 at 9am
Voting Closes: 19th March 2026 at 1pm
Results Event: 19th March 2026 at TBC
What's changed recently?
In 2025, after a Democracy Review, we introduced a refreshed structure for our Elected Officers. These changes are designed to better represent your needs, enhance inclusivity, and ensure our student voice is stronger than ever. Whether you’re passionate about education, welfare, or making real change, our new roles offer exciting opportunities to get involved and make an impact.
We've also introduced data-driven themes to ensure our candidates work on what matters to you.
More information about the Elected Officer roles including job descriptions can be found on the nomination pages when nominations open.
You can also keep up to date with what the Officer team are up to on Instagram
What have Officers actually changed?
What have Officers actually changed?
Officers really are incredible! They achieve so much for you and your fellow students. Somethings you may not have even realised came from Officer manifestos and lobbying.
Just some of the things achieved for students, by previous Officers:
24 Hour Library opening hours
Extended University Bus Route
Free Zoom access for all students
£10k funding for suicide prevention training for personal tutors and support services
Development of the sexual harassment policy
More varied food options in campus cafes
Free food parcels and Breakfast Club to support student in the cost of living crisis
Influenced national housing policy to improve renters rights
Plus much more...
Jargon Buster
Jargon Buster
Elected Officer. We have four Elected Officers at the Students' Union who are voted for by the student body. Elected Officers are here to make positive change and represent students who are studying at the University of Portsmouth. As full-time Elected Officer you have the chance to improve the experience of students!
EO. Short for Elected Officer!
Nominations. To run for an Elected Officer role you first need to nominate yourself. This means putting yourself forward where you'll then write a manifesto and then campaign to show your peers why they should vote for you.
Manifesto. A manifesto is a written statement that covers the beliefs, aims and intentions of the person or people who wrote it. If you decide to nominate yourself for an Elected Officer role, you will need to write a manifesto to show the student body what you're standing for and where you believe you can make positive change for them.
Campaigning. Once you're confirmed as a nominee, you'll need to campaign - This basically means that you need to go out and about around campus and online to talk to your fellow students, explaining why your manifesto could mean positive change at Portsmouth. You can have a campaign team (friends or course mates) to help you spread the word about why you're the best person for the role.
Voting Week. This is the week where voting officially opens and students can choose who they want to get each role. Voting runs for 4.5 days before the polls are shut.
Results night. When voting closes, the results are counted and the winner of each role is decided. The outcome is announced at results night where all of the canidates can gather together and find out if they're going to be an EO for the following year!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are there only 4 Elected Officers?
Why have the role names changed?
Why are there only 4 Elected Officers?
Why have the role names changed?
We’ve restructured our Elected Officer roles following a comprehensive Democracy Review. The changes aim to streamline the officer team, ensuring each role is more focused and impactful. By reducing the number of elected officers to four, we can provide clearer responsibilities, better support, and a stronger connection between the Elected Officers and the wider student body.
The role names have been updated to better reflect their purpose and responsibilities, making it clearer to students what each Officer focuses on. This change also aligns with the feedback from the democracy review, ensuring that the officer roles are more inclusive and representative of the diverse needs and interests of our student body.
You can find out more about each role here.
When can I vote?
When can I vote?
Voting for the 2026/27 Elections opens at 9am on Monday 16th March 2026.
Where are the polling stations on campus
Where are the polling stations on campus
We will have a few polling stations across campus this year as well as some roaming stations (keep an eye out for UPSU staff in purple!).
University Library
Park
Richmond
Dennis Sciama
Eldon
What if I have multiple candidates that I like running for the same position?
What if I have multiple candidates that I like running for the same position?
We use a system called single transferable vote.
It's a much fairer way of voting and means voters get a bit more of a say, by ranking candidates from most to least favourable. So if your top pick doesn’t win, there’s a really good chance someone else you like will get in and no voting power is wasted.
You can learn about the voting system here.
Can I vote if I'm an International Student?
Can I vote if I'm an International Student?
Yes, so long as your course is awarded a University of Portsmouth Award at the end of your studies, you are eligible to vote, regardless of whether you are part-time, distance learners, postgrads or international students.
If you are not sure if you are eligible to vote then don't worry, the system will not allow you to vote if you are not eligible. So if it lets you vote, then yay, you're eligible!
If the system is not allowing you to vote and you believe you should be eligble, then please contact elections@upsu.net
Can I vote if I'm a Postgraduate/Masters/PhD Student?
Can I vote if I'm a Postgraduate/Masters/PhD Student?
Yes, so long as your course is awarded a University of Portsmouth Award at the end of your studies, you are eligible to vote, regardless of whether you are part-time, distance learners, postgrads or international students.
If you are not sure if you are eligible to vote then don't worry, the system will not allow you to vote if you are not eligible. So if it lets you vote, then yay, you're eligible!
If the system is not allowing you to vote and you believe you should be eligble, then please contact elections@upsu.net
Can I vote if I'm a distant learner?
Can I vote if I'm a distant learner?
Yes, so long as your course is awarded a University of Portsmouth Award at the end of your studies, you are eligible to vote, regardless of whether you are part-time, distance learners, postgrads or international students.
If you are not sure if you are eligible to vote then don't worry, the system will not allow you to vote if you are not eligible. So if it lets you vote, then yay, you're eligible!
If the system is not allowing you to vote and you believe you should be eligble, then please contact elections@upsu.net
Isn't it just a popularity contest?
Isn't it just a popularity contest?
Nope. Previous Elected Officers have come from all walks of University life – what unites them is their desire to improve the Portsmouth student experience. As long as you have great ideas and a passion for creating change, you’ll make a great candidate.
How are the votes counted?
How are the votes counted?
We use a system called single transferable vote. It's a much fairer way of voting and means voters get a bit more of a say, by ranking candidates from most to least favourable. So if your top pick doesn’t win, there’s a really good chance someone else you like will get in and no voting power is wasted.
Our Elections system on our website automatically calculates the votes at the end of the voting period, when appropriate UPSU staff then note these results and get them confirmed by our Deputy Returning Officer and Returning Officer.
Can I attend results night if I'm not a candidate or on a campaign team?
Can I attend results night if I'm not a candidate or on a campaign team?
Of course! In fact we encourage any student that would like to attend, to come along! Come and celebrate being the democratic legend you are from using your vote and see if your favourites win on the night! Information about Results Night will be on our What's On page.
Still got questions? Send them over to us at elections@upsu.net and we'll get back to you asap!
Or pop in to the Union reception to chat to a member of staff.
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