To ensure we understand student needs, KCLSU is led by officers selected via an election. The candidates who put themselves forward must be current students, and only current students can vote in the elections. 

At KCLSU, we aim to make sure that all our elections and processes are fair. The only advantage that a candidate should have is their ability to persuade their fellow students to vote for them. Despite that, we recognise it's a challenge to keep the elections fair and honest. We continue to work to improve the process and put in measures to ensure fairness. 

As such, we're continually reviewing and updating rules, and just last year, we brought in a Zero Tolerance policy towards harassment. Before the Pandemic hit, we also moved to polling booths to ensure that no student felt pressured to vote and could easily access staff to register complaints. Unfortunately, we've had to roll back on polling booths in light of the ongoing lockdown and social distancing restrictions. However, we are still dedicated to making our elections as safe and fair as possible. 

We also recognise that elections can be a difficult process for the candidates who run in them. Putting yourself forward and then campaigning to convince the student body that you're their best choice is often tiring, challenging and stressful. As such we've increased the welfare provision for candidates making sure that they're putting in the time to look after their wellbeing whilst campaigning. Officer candidates will have the opportunity to meet with a Positive Peer to chat through their concerns and how they can check in with themselves. We also have a Wellbeing Passport for all candidates to access and use as a wellbeing activity break.

We also recognise that it will be more difficult than ever for our candidates to communicate with the student body due to the ongoing global Pandemic. To aid with this challenging task, we'll offer the candidates digital campaigning training, and we'll also provide direct support by publicising candidates' videos. Alongside this KCLSU will have an ongoing campaign to raise awareness and engage more students with the process. 

While we recognise there's still some way to go before we perfect our elections, we will continue to strive and make them as accessible, fair and engaging as possible. To find out more or get involved, visit our elections page or check out KCLSU on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.