About
The Students’ Union at the University of West of England (UWE) is a student-led organisation supporting a diverse community of over 39,000 students across three campuses in and around Bristol, Frenchay, City and Glenside.
With such a vast number of potential votes across many locations across Bristol, it was important for the Representation team, led by Representation Manager Em Harvey, as well as Harry Stone, IT & EPOS Manager, to find new ways of engaging their students to aim for more votes across more positions.
The Representation team oversees academic reps at course, school and college level, as well as the Union’s governance and democratic structures. A key part of this is the annual student elections, a pivotal event that determines the SU’s next cohort of student leaders, including five full-time sabbatical officers and eleven part-time voluntary part time officers.
Harry Stone supports the elections operationally, setting up their MSL permissions, polling stations and roaming voting points to ensure a seamless experience during elections week.
Together, the team delivers elections that empower student voices, drive engagement, and ensure democratic representation across the community.
So how did they up the ante on election votes across more positions?
The Problem
Before using the full potential of MSL’s Elections module, the Students’ Union at UWE faced several logistical and administrative hurdles in running its elections. For several years, the SU operated a hybrid model that combined paper ballots with online voting to be more inclusive, but this approach caused more headaches than it solved.
Manual vote counting took hours and often pushed the team right up to the wire on results night, creating unnecessary stress and leaving little room for error. As Em Harvey recalled, “a few years ago we did hybrid voting of paper and online to try and make it as inclusive as possible. But that turned out to be an absolute nightmare.”
As Harry Stone put it, “just the sheer mass of how many votes were coming in, being counted… it definitely makes for a more efficient result in the end, doing it digitally.” Polling station logistics were also proving tricky. Logins for volunteers had to be manually switched between shifts, which sometimes led to delays and issues with incorrect credentials.
Prior to embracing a fully digital approach, elections for student committees were informal, often decided by a show of hands at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Back in 2020 with the pandemic, we transitioned from going from your standard AGM. Everyone gets into a room or goes to the pub, puts their hands up and said, yeah, this person will be president. We transitioned into using MSL Elections for that seeing as going to the pub wasn’t an option at that time. - Em Harvey, Representation Manager, UWE SU.
What the SU needed was a streamlined, digital first approach that
- removed unnecessary admin
- improved accuracy and engagement
- provide a better experience for both staff and students
The Solution
To eliminate the complications of hybrid voting and manual counts, the SU fully embraced the digital functionality of the MSL Elections module and didn’t stop there. They took it a step further, bringing in improved planning, streamlined tech, and smarter use of data to deliver an even more efficient and engaging election process.
A collaborative approach led by the SU’s IT and Representation teams ensured elections ran smoothly from start to finish. Harry led on the logistics, setting up static and roaming polling stations across the campuses – including high-traffic areas like the SU, the library, and even the bus stops. Recognising past Wi-Fi issues, the team rolled out 4G-enabled iPads to ensure consistent access and flexibility in location setup.
Polling stations were equipped with MSL admin logins and carefully scheduled staffing, allowing for seamless volunteer shift changes without the usual technical faff.
It (MSL Elections) was just ready to go, and we had no issues with any of the permissions – no dramas. - Harry Stone, IT & EPOS Manager, UWE SU.
Representation manager, Em, highlighted the impact of all this prep: “beginning the operational delivery of the elections I was dealing with other student issues, looked up, and realised voting had started and nothing was on fire! It all just worked. That kind of calm is rare in election week.”
The elections module itself proved invaluable, not just for delivering the vote, but for the wider SU operations. Em praised its customisability, ability to flag setup errors, and the tight integration with the student database, which helps automatically confirm eligibility for nominees and voters.
Because we use MSL across so many parts of the SU, it just makes sense,...it’s the only viable option in the marketplace that does everything we need. It’s part of our norm now for students and staff alike.
- Em Harvey, Representation Manager, UWE SU.
The Students’ Union at UWE also took full advantage of MSL’s reporting tools, using demographic breakdowns, voting location data and participation insights to plan more effective outreach and staffing for future elections. Knowing how, where and when students voted helped the SU make evidence-based decisions on everything from incentive spend to campus staffing.
From logistical headaches and paper chaos to a digital-first, data-powered democratic process, the move to a fully integrated elections solution has transformed how the Students’ Union at UWE engages its student voters.
The Result
The Students’ Union at UWE’s 2025 elections didn’t just run smoothly, they raised the bar for what a student-led, data-informed digital voting experience can look like.
More informed voting, visible impact
One of the SU’s primary goals this year was to encourage more informed voting, particularly for the less visible part-time officer roles. Thanks to live data and real-time reporting via the MSL Elections module, they could confidently say: mission accomplished. More students cast votes across more positions, especially in the part-time categories reflecting a clearer understanding of the roles and a broader reach of campaign messaging.
Pizza, prizes & participation
The SU leaned into a competitive spirit by offering funding boosts and small prizes for sports clubs and societies that hit engagement targets. Real-time stats live on the website through MSL, leaderboards and friendly “naming and shaming” (looking at you, Moustache Society) created a buzz across campus.
Even abstaining became part of the strategy. When one society refused to vote in protest, the SU showed them how abstentions still counted towards turnout, and they shot to the top of the table. “Still a win,” said Em “because they were still exercising their democratic rights and using their voice in decision-making.”
Strategic use of incentives worked wonders. A simple shift in pizza day from Thursday to Wednesday resulted in 300 more votes casted on that day than in previous years, the highest Wednesday turnout in recent memory.
Data that drives inclusion
With elections overlapping Ramadan, the team used demographic insights to introduce candidate meal vouchers instead of breakfast events, ensuring inclusivity and boosting wellbeing. This simple change, powered by MSL’s demographic tools, supported student participation without compromising faith or fairness.
More student groups voting
- Student rep turnout increased from 25% to 32%, despite a jump from 600 to 900 reps year-on-year.
- Visibility and engagement from sports clubs and societies also grew, supported by live stats and targeted outreach.
- Societies used QR codes, link sharing and social media to mobilise their members, often competing publicly for top spot.
A system that just works
From an operations standpoint, the elections were described as calm. Staff who were once anxious about tech setup and usability praised the clean new user interface, easy-to-use polling station setup, and scannable student IDs that kept queues moving and questions minimal.
Pre-election MSL workshops helped demystify the system for non-tech staff, and live tracking on the website reduced the usual barrage of questions during voting week.
A culture of confidence
The elections weren’t just successful; they created lasting organisational change. Representation, IT, and Opportunities teams worked more closely than ever before, with shared data and responsibilities. The increased collaboration led to quicker decision-making, stronger student engagement, and improved cross-team relationships.
Key outcomes at a glance:
- 32% of student reps voted (up from 25%)
- 300+ extra votes on pizza day
- Stronger collaboration between departments
- New inclusive practices introduced using demographic insights
- Real-time reporting used to boost engagement & transparency