Voting is now open!

We would like to publicly announce the voting period which will commence on Tuesday 7 May and remain open until Thursday 23 May.

Members eligible to vote will recieve an email on Tuesday 7 May from the platform OpaVote with a one-time link to cast their vote. If you are eligible to vote but did not receive a link, please reach out to PSA staff at [email protected].

Open Trustee positions

There are three positions up-for-grabs on the PSA’s Executive Committee.

It is an important and vibrant time to be a Trustee of the PSA. The Association is embarking on an exciting new era, guided by a Strategic Plan that will enable us to become the leading British learned society within the social sciences. For example, we have recently purchased a new HQ in Camden, London, and launched an exciting new website. And while none of this would be possible without the diligence of our seven staff members, the Association looks to the Executive Committee for its strategic leadership.

See who’s standing below!

Plain text version of the candidate information is available here.

Candidates for Trustee (2 spaces available)

Candidates for Honorary Secretary

Check out our Election Guidance below for all you need to know about the PSA’s election process

What am I voting for?

The Political Studies Association has three positions vacant on its Executive Committee: two trustee positions; and the role of Honorary Secretary (who sits as both a trustee and as a member of the Senior Leadership Team).

These trustees will provide strategic leadership to the Association and will also become legal trustees of the Association as a charity, and therefore must act in accordance with Charity Commission guidelines.

Who are our current trustees? Click here to meet the current team.

How were nominations made for these elections?

• Candidates could nominate themselves during February to April. This year’s call for nomination can be found here
• A member who has served as a Trustee for full two terms is not eligible to run again for a period of three years

Am I eligible to vote?

• All Academic, ECN, Retired and Unwaged/Unemployed Academic members of the Political Studies Association are eligible to vote
• Schools, Wider Public Members and Student Members are not eligible to vote
• Full eligibility terms can be found in 3.2 of our organisations Bye-Laws.

How do I vote?

• This year the PSA is hosting their Executive Committee Elections on OpaVote
• All those eligible to vote will receive an email from OpaVote that will include a direct link to voting
• If you believe you are eligible to vote and have not received this email please contact [email protected]
• Before contacting the office please ensure you check your junk mail/spam

What voting method do the PSA use?

• The PSA use Scottish STV for electing members of our Executive Committee

What are the campaigning rules for candidates?

• Please keep the election a positive and good-humoured affair. If you happen not to be elected, there will be another election the following year, so please focus on telling others of your possible contributions, rather than other candidates’ weaknesses. 
• In terms of campaigning techniques, please feel free to canvas to your colleagues, send emails to colleagues in other institutions, and post on social media. If tweeting, please use #PSAelection19.
• There is a strict budget of £0 for each candidate in the election; in other words, you cannot spend any money on your election, be it to purchase gifts for voters, take out newspaper advertisements, or otherwise.
• If Specialist Groups wish to highlight individual candidates, they must please highlight every candidate who is a member of their Group when doing so. 

I have a question or complaint regarding the PSA elections, who do I contact?

• The Honorary Secretary acts as the Returning Officer for PSA Executive Committee elections
• Another member of the Executive Committee will be appointed if the Honorary Secretary is themselves running or has declared a conflict of interest
• This year’s returning officer is Paul Tobin, who can be contacted via: [email protected]

Click here for full versions of the PSA’s governing documents and Bye-Laws