Elections at LUU
Leeds University Union is a representative organisation that’s led by its members. Every student here at Leeds has plenty of ways to have a direct say in how the Union is run, and elections are a really big part of that.
There are four main election periods that run across each academic year, so there’s always an opportunity to get involved in democracy at the Union. This page provides an overview of the different opportunities across the year, to help you decide which are the most appropriate for you.
Whether you’re looking to steer a society or influence national policy, we’re confident there’s an election for you. Our elections are open to anyone to vote or stand, and you don’t need to be a campaigning expert to get involved – just passion, ideas and a drive to get stuck in.
The Political Engagement Team is here to support you every step of the way, providing training and tips, resources and mentoring. You can always get in touch with them at LUU.PET@leeds.ac.uk.
NUS Delegate Elections
NUS is the National Union of Students – you might know them as the place to get a TOTUM Card and sort out your student discount, but they’re also a member-led campaigning organisation, consisting of around 600 student unions. Key wins secured by the NUS for students include no longer having to pay council tax.
Just like you’re a member of LUU, LUU is a member of NUS – and each year the NUS holds a big conference to let the membership decide what its priorities should be for the year ahead. The NUS takes these decisions and influences national policy through a combination of research, targeted action and Government lobbying.
We get to send 12 elected students (known as Delegates) to this conference to represent LUU members’ interests. To make it as easy as possible for our Delegates, we cover the cost of the conference and provide training in advance.
Some of the policy passed in 2023 that will be discussed at 2024 National Conference can be found here.
The 2024 conference will take place in on the 17 and 18 April in Blackpool.
- Nominations open: Monday 9 October
- Nominations close: Friday 10 November
- Training/ Prep: Monday 13 November – Thursday 16 November
- Voting period: Friday 17 November – Tuesday 21 November (voting at closes 23:59)
- NUS National Conference 2024: Wednesday 17 April – Thursday 18 April
If you’ve got any questions, please get in touch with LUU’s Political Engagement Team on LUU.PET@leeds.ac.uk.
LeadLUU
Next we have Lead LUU. That’s the name of our annual Student Executive election – it’s one of the biggest student elections in the country, and is a pretty big deal in the Leeds campus calendar.
Our members are invited to run for one of six Student Executive roles which work together to lead the Union for a year. The Exec Officers act as trustees of LUU, help decide its direction as an organisation, and represent the voice of over 40,000 students in high-level decision making at the Union and University.
- Nominations open | 27 November
- Nominations close | 6 February
- Exec 1-1 meetings | 22 January – 6 February
- Candidate Academy | 8 – 10 February (required training -attendance is compulsary)
- Training / Creation Week | 12 – 16 February
- Campaigning opens | 7am, 19 February
- Hustings | 19 February
- Voting | 7am, 26 February – 7pm, 29 February
- Results Night | 1 March
Club & Society Election Season
Following LeadLUU is Club & Society Election Season, where we elect all the leaders of our student groups for the next academic year. We have more than 300 fantastic clubs & societies at LUU, forming one of the most important parts of University life. Each group is led by a committee of students – holding positions from President and Secretary through to Head of Publicity and beyond.
All of our club & society committees are elected by their group members, and any member of the group is eligible to stand for election. It’s a great opportunity to steer the student group for a year, and the perfect way to develop CV-worthy skills like communication, leadership and conflict resolution. These elections are held online on Engage, just like LeadLUU.
- Election Season begins: Wednesday 1 March
- Election Season ends: Wednesday 31 May
Activities Executive Elections
And last – but certainly not least – is the Activities Exec election. The Activities Executive are 13 elected students who represent members of LUU societies to the University and LUU. Being a member of the Activities Exec is an exciting way to impact the way LUU is run, as well as a great way to meet creative people and hold amazing events.
Each member of the Activities Exec represents a category of LUU societies, from Performance & Music to Welfare.
They make key decisions about new society formations, allocate funding, chair five Society Executive Category Meetings to gather feedback on proposed policies, and represent the voices and needs of members at the Better Forums.
All of our Activities Executive are elected by members of Clubs & Societies in their category, and you need to belong to a Club or Society in the relevant category to stand for a position.
- Nominations open: 15 May
- Nominations close: 26 June
- Voting: 27-29 June
- Results: 30 June
