For Candidates

The next Representative Council elections of ISYY will be held in autumn 2023. The elections are not possible without good candidates. If you think that you could actively contribute to the Student Union and its future, why not present yourself as a candidate! Read on to find out how to do it.

Why Should You Present Yourself as a Candidate?

As a member of the Representative Council, Edaattori in Finnish, you will be able to have your say about how things are run at ISYY and UEF.  For instance, you will help determine the strategy of ISYY, cooperate with the decision-making bodies of UEF and help build a better future for students in this country.

As a member of the Representative Council, you will gain valuable experience working in a position of trust, meet new people and build valuable networks inside and outside of the student movement.

How Does it Work in Practice?

Running for the Representative Council happens via candidate lists.  Every candidate list has one person in charge, who is called a Spokesperson. When someone is interested in joining the list, the Spokesperson takes care of practical matters. If you would like to run for a certain candidate list, please contact the Spokesperson for the list in question.

There are different types of lists, many of them politically affiliated or connected to a specific field of study. However, you do not need to be politically inclined or affiliated with a specific movement, as some lists are nonaligned. If you are unable to find a suitable list for your personal interests, you may also establish your own candidate list. A candidate can announce that they are a nonaligned candidate as they nominate themselves. There is no exact definition of what it means to be a nonaligned candidate in the Representative Council Elections. The candidate and the candidate list can freely define the nature of being nonaligned. This can mean, for example, that the candidate does not commit to the policy of the candidate list or its collaborators.

ISYY utilises the proportional representation electoral system, which means that seats get distributed to each list in proportion to the number of votes the list receives.  Every member of the Student Union (ISYY) who has registered as present at the University by a certain date is an eligible candidate at the elections, and each candidate is allowed to represent one list only.

The Central Election Committee of ISYY will publish regulations for campaigning and candidate marketing closer to the next elections.

Establishing a list of candidates

You can establish your own list of candidates if you are eligible as a candidate yourself. The founder of the list becomes a Spokesperson and may run as a candidate on their list. So the founder of a candidate list is the same person as the Spokesperson of the list. The Spokesperson works as a contact person between the candidates of the list and the Student Union. Two or more lists of candidates can form an electoral alliance. More detailed instructions on how to establish a candidate list are given in the Election Announcement.

How to use the electronic election system?

Here is how to establish a candidate list:

1. Log in to the system with your UEF credentials.
2. Choose ’register a new list’.
3. Fill in the registration form, save your information by pressing ‘save’. Now your candidate list has been established!
4. Start marketing your list and let students know the name of your list.
5. You will get a notification to the email address you gave when your list has received a new candidate application.
6. Confirm your new candidates’ candidacy on your list via the link that is sent to your email address.

Here are instructions on how to become a candidate:

If you want to run as a candidate on your own candidate list, please fill in only the candidate list registration form.

1. Log in to the system with your UEF credentials.
2. Choose ’register as a candidate’.
3. Select your preferred candidate list from the menu. If you cannot find the list you want, please contact the representative of that list.
4. Fill in the Candidate's approval and assurance and press ‘send application’.
5. You will be notified via email after the representative of the candidate list has accepted your application.

Campaigning

Candidates of the ISYY Representative Council have the opportunity to campaing on the campuses of both cities on separately announced days. Dates and places reserved for the campaigning can be found in the election calendar. Candidates do not need to register for the campaigning separately.

The Central Election Committee has issued election advertising guidelines for the 2021 Representative Council Elections, which you can find from the link below.

Isyy.fi, opens in a new tab: Election Advertising Guidelines 2021 (will be updated later)

Need help?

If you have any questions or you need help using the electronic election system, you can contact our Coordinator of Administration.

Elina Pitkänen, Coordinator of Administration, Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY), kv.kuopio(at)isyy.fi, tel. +358 44 576 8413

Read more: 

Isyy.fi, opens in a new tab: 2021 Election Announcement of the Representative Council Elections (pdf)

Isyy-vaalit.uef.fi, opens in a new tab: Electronic election system

Isyy.fi, opens in a new tab: The Election Regulations

Isyy.fi, opens in a new tab: Spokespersons for the Candidate Lists

Isyy.fi, opens in a new tab: Processing of Personal Data

Isyy.fi, opens in a new tab: Election Calendar