STUDENT UNION LEADERSHIP LAB
Candidate preparation starter — free, self-directed resource
Version 1 | October 18, 2026 | Canadian postsecondary elections

YOUR IDEAS. A CAMPAIGN WITH DIRECTION.

You bring a perspective, experience and a reason to contribute. Choose one
election and one seat; give your ideas a plan that fits their actual rules.
Useful for executive, board, council, Senate and governing-board candidates.

HOW TO USE THIS FILE
Save your own copy and edit it in your usual text editor. The companion HTML
has editable boxes for printing to PDF or paper. Neither file submits entries
to the Lab or supplies autosave. Keep your work in an appropriate location.
Use fictional or appropriately shareable information. Do not include private
student lists, case files, credentials or payment-card details.

Preparation is not permission to campaign early. Local rules and the relevant
election authority govern your election. This resource is not an endorsement,
election ruling, legal advice or promise of an election result.

START — YOUR ELECTION
Organization:
Election cycle (general / by-election / other; actual year):
Local seat title and constituency:
Election authority (union / institution / joint / unknown):
Official rules URL:
Nomination deadline and timezone:
Campaign start/end and timezone:
Voting start/end and timezone:
Expense submission deadline and timezone:
Accommodation/accessible-format request route:

01 — GIVE THREE PRIORITIES A USEFUL SHAPE
For each: connect a student need or existing strength with what the role can
influence. Distinguish what you can propose from what you can promise.

FICTIONAL EXAMPLE
Idea: Help commuter students find a quiet place between classes.
Strength: Students already share suggestions.
Next check: Ask about needs without collecting sensitive details.
Role: Bring a supported proposal to the appropriate decision-making body;
do not promise a new room without authority or an approved plan.

PRIORITY 1
Idea:
Student need or strength:
What I know and its source:
What I still need to ask:
What this role can influence; who decides:
First useful action:

PRIORITY 2
Idea:
Student need or strength:
What I know and its source:
What I still need to ask:
What this role can influence; who decides:
First useful action:

PRIORITY 3
Idea:
Student need or strength:
What I know and its source:
What I still need to ask:
What this role can influence; who decides:
First useful action:

02 — PREPARE A 60-SECOND CLASS TALK
Before arranging a visit, check election rules, instructor permission,
permitted campaign dates, speaking time and accessible ways to share your
message. A public timetable does not grant access to a class. Do not collect
a private class roster.

0–10 seconds: Name, seat and a brief reason you care.
10–30 seconds: One student priority and what you have learned about it.
30–45 seconds: One realistic action the role could take, including who decides.
45–60 seconds: Invite a question or point to an approved accessible platform;
give verified voting information if permitted.

Permission/access check:
Relevant rule and section:
Instructor approval / date / conditions:
Visit date/time and room or online route:
Agreed duration:
Readable text alternative:
Microphone/captions or another access arrangement, where relevant:
Written link or alternative to a QR code:

My own words:



Practice check: Time it aloud. Shorten rather than rush. Speak clearly,
describe meaningful visual information and offer a readable text alternative.
Ask a trusted person what they understood and what could be clearer.

03 — PLAN ONE MANAGEABLE WEEK
Use actual dates. Move an action if approval is missing. Each line needs an
action, owner, time allowance, permission check and completion check.
Leave room for classes, work, rest and existing responsibilities.

Day 1 / Understand: Read current rules; map the role and deadlines.
Date, action, owner, time, permission, completion check:

Day 2 / Listen: Choose permitted conversations and questions; check what is
allowed at this stage of the election.
Date, action, owner, time, permission, completion check:

Day 3 / Choose: Refine three priorities and a first step within role authority.
Date, action, owner, time, permission, completion check:

Day 4 / Practise: Time an introduction; ask for clear, respectful feedback.
Date, action, owner, time, permission, completion check:

Day 5 / Prepare: Check materials, readability and permissions for the next
permitted campaign activity.
Date, action, owner, time, permission, completion check:

Day 6 / Connect: Carry out a permitted action only within the campaign period;
record questions and receipts.
Date, action, owner, time, permission, completion check:

Day 7 / Review and reset: What helped? What needs changing? Check the budget,
next deadline and room for rest.
Date, action, owner, time, permission, completion check:

04 — CHECK THE RULE YOU WILL RELY ON
Official document title and URL:
Document/effective date:
Applicable election cycle and exact local office:
Date I checked the source:
Relevant section/page:
Election authority (union / institution / joint / unknown):

Spending ceiling, if verified:
Currency and tax treatment:
Individual / team / slate / shared-position basis:
Donations, discounts and fair-market-value treatment:
Skilled labour / volunteer labour / outside-provider rules:
Grant, advance or loan actually supplied, if any:
Reimbursement cap, percentage and eligible categories, if any:
Prior approval or written ruling required:
Penalties / withdrawal / disqualification conditions:
Who can claim and who pays:
Receipt requirements and claim deadline:
Payment timing, if known:
Supplied printing, publicity, venues and candidate briefings:
Accommodation route and any separate cost allowance:
What remains unknown:
Exact question for the election authority:
Written clarification date and where I kept it:

A CAP IS NOT CASH
A permitted expense is not automatically reimbursable. Some elections
prohibit candidate spending or provide materials instead. Check how free
resources, discounts, digital tools or training count before relying on them.
Do not infer that a Lab resource is approved from a general reimbursement rule.
Institutional Senate/governor rules may differ from the union's election rules.

05 — PLAN THE COST; KEEP THE EVIDENCE
Use candidate-budget.csv for planned purchases and actual expenses. It has a
header and blank rows, with no formulas. Open it in a spreadsheet app and save
your own working copy. Add rows as needed. Blank money fields are unknown or
not entered, not zero. Use CAD only where that is the applicable currency.

Record the amount actually paid and tax basis separately from any different
reportable fair-market value. Donations may count toward a ceiling without
being repaid. Follow your local rules for supplied resources and labour.

Before spending: Check eligibility, approval, ceiling and upfront funds needed.
At purchase: Keep the itemized receipt, payment evidence and written approval.
Before filing: Reconcile to the official expense form; include a zero-expense
return if your rules require it.
After filing: Record claimed, approved and actually paid amounts separately.
A pending claim is not money received.

CSV FIELD GUIDE
Item ID: Your own neutral identifier, not a bank/card/account number.
Stage: Planned / Purchased / Donated / Supplied / Cancelled, as appropriate.
Description and category: What the item is and its purpose.
Cost/value fields: Planned cash cost, actual cash paid, tax basis and reportable
value; leave unresolved figures blank rather than inventing a zero.
Approval and source: Eligibility status, ruling/reference and the actual rule URL.
Evidence: Local receipt reference and dates, without copying sensitive data.
Reimbursement: Claimed, approved and received are separate events/amounts.
No spreadsheet formulas are supplied. Review imported text before treating
anything from an external source as a formula in a spreadsheet app.

My verified ceiling and its basis:
My verified repayment rule:
Upfront funds I would need:
Receipt folder/reference:
Filing deadline and timezone:

NEXT USEFUL STEP
What I will do:
Permission or evidence it depends on:
When I will check it:
After the election: What did I learn, what would I change and what will I carry
into my next contribution, whether or not I am elected?

© 2026 Student Union Leadership Lab
https://www.studentunionleadershiplab.ca/
The available starter is free and self-directed. The fuller toolkit,
membership and separately scoped services remain in development.