Printing & Publicity Guidelines

Printing allowance

• Candidates/agents are entitled to an allowance of A4 photocopies in black or colour print, on white or colour paper (depending on stock). These are provided free of charge.
• The following positions are allocated a printing allowance for each candidate/agent:

• Photocopying support can be obtained from RUSU reception.
• Candidates/agents must bring their original artwork to RUSU reception (Hard copy only).
• Photocopying will be done on your behalf on a first come, first served basis.

Displaying/Distributing your Campaign Materials

Virtual/online

Candidates can produce posters and flyers and distribute virtually and display online.

Within the Union and external walls:

• You cannot display posters, flyers, banners or any other removable material on the electronic promotional boards within the RUSU building.
• Posters, flyers and banners may be secured (use sticky tack on walls) and displayed on any other walls within the RUSU building.
• If you wish to display at a height which requires assistance, please seek permission from elections@rusu.co.uk prior to displaying.
• You can display banners on temporary railings (outside the RUSU building) which will be provided by RUSU during the voting period. (For RUSU Leadership Elections ONLY).

Within University buildings and the rest of campus:

• Posters, banners, stickers and any other material cannot be secured and displayed on ANY walls within University buildings.
• Posters/flyers may be displayed on University noticeboards, using drawing pins NOT sticky tack.
• Posters/banners/other removable material may be secured using cable ties/string to lamp posts.
• If you wish to display posters/flyers in University catering outlets/bars, you should obtain permission from the Manager on duty and ask where you can display them.
• If you wish to display banners within/outside a building, you must obtain permission from the Building Manager in the first instance.

It is not acceptable to:

• Obscure panels on glazed fire doors.
• Paint or chalk or in any other way mark the pavements/roads.
• Secure posters/flyers to University buildings (either internally or externally including corridor walls), as this is potentially damaging to the brickwork/decoration.
• Do not use stickers, sticky tape, glue or any other substance to secure materials.
• Do not put up banners on the roundabout railings near Henley Business School.

Please note:

• Any posters and other materials obscuring existing signs or causing damage to University/RUSU property will be removed.
• Any posters or other materials not appropriately secured (e.g. by fixing to lampposts with something other than cable ties or string, or similar temporary easily removable materials) may attract a maintenance charge for its removal.
• All banners, posters and flyers must be removed within 48 hours after the election/referendum is completed. This must be done by candidates/agents or their campaign team.

Any remaining posters and other materials will be removed and may be reported to the Elections Committee.

Social Media/Email

• Candidates/agents may set up Facebook pages. The Chair of Elections Committee must be added to these.
• Candidates/agents should NOT use dating platforms, such as, but not limited to, Bumble Date, Tinder, etc., as part of their election campaign or to canvass votes.
• No activity group should give preferential treatment to a specific candidate/agent. For example, if a candidate/agent were to post in a group and another candidate/agent also wishes to post in that group, the group administrators must not favour one candidate/agent over another.
• Candidates/agents may not use mailing lists.
• Candidates cannot publicly endorse other candidates online – we do not allow slates of candidates in our elections.

Using Existing/Setting up new social media accounts for a campaign

Candidates should be aware of the following when using existing or setting up new social media account for campaigning purposes:

• If a candidate’s social media identifies RUSU and/or University of Reading, for example, it must be made clear that the views expressed on or through those social media account/s do not represent the views of RUSU and/or University of Reading.
• Your account should include a disclaimer such as the views expressed here are my own and in no way reflect the views of RUSU and/or the University of Reading.

Improving accessibility on social media

• Accessibility on social media platforms is limited and raises access issues for individuals with disabilities, however certain features exist on different social media platforms that improve accessibility and make content inclusive.
• Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have options to add ‘Alt Text’ – which are essentially image descriptions. You can also use image descriptions in the body of your post if you cannot find the alt text option. Image descriptions should be indicated through square brackets, for example [VIDEO], [IMAGE] or [AUDIO] so screen reader users can anticipate what they are seeing or what a hyperlink would lead to.
• Remember to subtitle your video content! This not only makes your videos more accessible, but allows you to get your message across to anyone who is scrolling past your video with their sound turned off.

Copyright & intellectual property

Candidates should ensure they have permission to share any third party materials, including all images, photographs, text and videos, before uploading them or linking to them via social media. In instances where you are sharing please ensure that such materials or shared links are credited.

Where can I get some help/advice?

If you are in any doubt or have questions, please contact the Elections Committee.

Any questions should be emailed to elections@rusu.co.uk.