Your Elections Candidates 2026 Revealed

21 candidates are in the running to become your next Guild President, and the power is in your hands to decide who represents you and leads the Guild as your Student Officer Team 2026/27.

Every year, University of Liverpool students vote for the 4 Student Officers they want to represent them. Who leads the Guild? You decide!

We’ll be getting you elections ready with the candidate manifestos, elections FAQs and everything you need to have your say in Vote Week. Stay up to date with this page for your Elections Updates.

Voting opens at 9am on Monday 9^th March.

Candidates, click here to get Elections ready with our Candidate Hub.

Elections Timeline

Nominations Period - 9am on 26th January – 10am on 16th February

Your chance to get to know all about the role of an Officer + submit your nomination

Candidate Compulsory Briefing - 17th February at 4pm

Find out all the key info on being an official Elections candidate.

Candidate Training - 18th February from 1pm

Our Elections experts get candidates Vote Week ready! From designing your assets to tips on campaigning.

Elections Launch Event - 4th March from 1pm

Lights, camera, elections; meet our candidates as they are officially launched

Vote Week - 9th-13th March

The main event! Your time to shine + get out there canvassing for votes as campus has their say on who leads the Guild. Ending with a Results Night celebration, where the new team will be announced.

The Role

Elected every year by UoL students, our four Student Officers work full time at the Guild to be the voice of students, run campaigns, support activities and bring your ideas to life, making sure the wider community can hear your voices loud and clear.

Forget an interview, to become one of our Student Officers, candidates will stand in our Student Officer Election, campaigning for students’ votes with a manifesto of your big ideas to improve your student experience.

The power is in your hands to decide who leads the Guild as your Guild President!

Day in the Life of a Student Officer: What do they get up to

📢 Attend University Committees to represent YOU
✨Meet with Guild experts; from events to student voice and marketing to finance, to bring their manifesto ideas to life
💬 Replying to emails, team messages and developing your professional skills
📝 Big Decision time: Attend Guild Board meetings to make decision on strategic change
🗣️ Get chatting: Work on a campaign stall to get student feedback & lots more!

What skills do you need?

🧠Empathy
⭐Passion
👂Good listener
👋Approachable
💚Understanding
🔓Inclusive
These are just a few of the qualities that would make you an amazing Student Officer.

Events

Are you interested but not sure if it’s the role for you? Come along to one of our Elections Info Sessions to ask all your questions.

There are no upcoming events

Elections Inspo

Hear from our past Student Officers about how the role shaped them.

Adnan Hussain

President 2019/21

Why did you decide to nominate yourself to be a Student Officer?I decided to run for President as I had believed I could do a good job at it.

What was running in the Elections like?Running in the election was one of my favourite experiences at University. It was tough but exciting at the same time.

How has being a Student Officers impacted your future?Becoming President gave me a boost in confidence in both my working and personal life. I had gained valuable experiences in leadership, lobbying, communications and more.

Chloe Field

Deputy President 2020/21

Why did you decide to nominate yourself to be a Student Officer? After the 2019 general election, I felt incredibly frustrated at the direction our country was going at and often felt very powerless. I could see there was a lot of stuff at University that desperately needed changing such as better support for sexual violence survivors and the cost of student rents. I believed that running for student officer would provide that space for change and influence in making life better for students!

What was running in the Elections like?It was incredibly scary at first and I knew I was stepping out of my comfort zone, however it was such an amazing experience once I got into it! It really boost my confidence and also helped me develop a variety of skills.

How has being a student officer impacted your future?I loved being a student officer and made me inspired and confident enough to want to make more change at a national level; leading to me running for and getting elected as Vice President for NUS!

Lina Dubbins

Vice-President 2022/24

Why did you decide to nominate yourself to be a Student Officer? I bumped into one of the previous student officers in the Tesco express! We started chatting and she mentioned her job. Well, later I had a look on the Guild website, and it sounded like a really exciting role. I’d always been interested in advocating on issues, and I’d noticed things throughout my experience as a student which I really wish could be changed. This job was the perfect way to try and do just that – so I nominated myself!

What was running in the Elections like? It was definitely a unique experience and at first a little intimidating. But, by the end of the first day I’d had so much fun chatting to loads of people and the other candidates. It was a really important learning experience and built my confidence hugely.

How has being a student officer impacted your future? Being a student officer provided with so many opportunities to develop my skillset, especially in public speaking and navigating difficult work situations. As a result, I was able to land a new job even though it was in a completely different field, purely because of the skills and experiences I’ve had. It’s also hugely impacted my personal growth and my studies – I’m no longer scared of presentations!

Kathryn Manley

Deputy President 2022-24

Why did you decide to nominate yourself to be a Student Officer? I wanted to make changes on campus and ensure the everyday student experience was improved. There are so many things that a student union can do and I had so many ideas for both the University and the wider Liverpool community. I also had a real interest in the education sector and how it functioned so being a student officer is a great way to learn more about education and just how universities operate in general.

What was running in the Elections like? Absolutely nerve wrecking and I was in bed at 9pm every night. However, it was fun speaking to so many students everyday and being able to share my campaign ideas whilst also learning about other student experiences.

How has being a student officer impacted your future? The role has given me so many transferable skills. It also enabled me to learn about a range of different subjects that I never knew much about such as sustainability, finances and governance. I am a really nosey person and love researching and reading about a range of topics so the role really enabled me to learn as much as I can and ask questions about everything.

Vas Samuels

President 2022-24

Why did you decide to nominate yourself to be a Student Officer? I was a student during the pandemic, and my university experience was really impacted. I wanted to be part of the decision-making process to improve the student experience and ensure students’ voices were heard. I also believed that gaining this experience would provide valuable skills and insights to support my future career.

What was running in the Elections like? Running in an election was one of the most exciting and challenging things I’ve ever done. I would have considered myself an introvert before running, so it really pushed me out of my comfort zone. You get to meet other candidates and connect with hundreds, if not thousands, of students. It’s a truly unique experience.

How has being a student officer impacted your future? I want to pursue a career in law, which is such a competitive field. Being able to say I was President of the Guild automatically makes me stand out as a candidate. The role allowed me to work on such a broad range of issues, giving me a wealth of experiences to draw from during interviews and assessment centres.

Elections FAQs

Want to know more about the role of a Student Officer or running in the election? We’ve got you covered. Find all of our most frequently asked questions below.

What is a Student Officer?

A Student Officer is a democratically elected representative for the students at a University. They oversee the running of the Students’ Union; setting our priorities and working to improve the lives of students. They work on campaigns, represent the student voice as well as sitting on the Guild’s Board of Trustees (with the President chairing this). The four Officers are paid a salary and work full-time with us for one year. Current Officers have the option to run again for a second year (with a max 2 years in office).

Why should I run?

90% of our candidates would recommend running in our Elections to a friend, regardless of the outcome. Some of the reasons are:

Meet + learn from a wide range of different people
Gain valuable skills + experience: from campaigning to confidence + communication
Speak to hundreds of students + learn about what they care about
Build your knowledge of how SUs + the University work

What will I need to do as a candidate?

As part of your elections campaign, you’d need to do the following

Submit answers to our Manifesto questions, these will be used on elections assets and Guild website
Make designs for campaign artwork
Speak to students about why they should vote for you
Optional: create a campaign video

We equip you with all the knowledge and skills you need to be a candidate as part of our post-nominations training programme.
In being a candidate, you’re committing to dedicating time to run an Elections Campaign. We try to keep this commitment as low as possible, to make sure everyone can take part. If you have concerns about if this would be manageable for you, please get in touch.

Can I run?

Can I run if I am graduating this year?

Yes! Any student at any level of study who is a full member of the Guild can run for the role, whether a first year, final year, post-graduate etc. If you aren’t due to graduate, you can take a sabbatical year to serve as an Officer.

What happens if I’m in the middle of my degree?

If you’re not graduating this year and get elected, you’ll pause your studies for a year to serve as an Officer. Like a year abroad or a year in industry, you’ll return to your degree once your sabbatical is over.

Can I run if I’m an international student?

You must be eligible to work in the UK and a full member of the Guild to run for the role. If you are an international student and want to find out more about how running might affect your Visa etc, please come to our International Students Info Session during nominations, where a member of the International Advice + Guidance team will be able to answer specific questions about this – you can also contact them for advice directly at iagteam@liverpool.ac.uk.

How does the Election work?

Guild Elections use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system, which means the election is preferential. Voters rank as many candidates as they choose, in the order they like them best. All candidates run for the same position – Guild President, and the ‘top’ 4 candidates are elected in order: President, Deputy President, & two Vice Presidents. You can decline the President role if you wish – this would then be offered to the candidate with the second highest number of votes. You can learn more about how STV works here.