Regional Committee (RC) Elections 2026 Regional Committees are an important part of MU democracy and are linked to the Union’s regional structure. Last updated: 04 September 2026 This page explains how to stand for a Regional Committee place for the 2027–2028 term. You can also visit the main Regional Committee page for more information about their role and how they work. If you are considering standing for the first time, please read the checklist below. If you are already familiar with the process, you can go straight to the online nomination form. Vacant seats for the 2027–2028 term Regional Committee seats are vacant in the following regions: East and South East England: Six (6) seats London: Eight (8) seats Midlands: Eleven (11) seats North of England: Eight (8) seats Scotland and Northern Ireland: Ten (10) seats Wales and South West England: Eight (8) seats Nomination process and eligibility To stand for a Regional Committee, you must complete an online nomination supported by another member from the same region as you. Your supporter is your nominator. To be eligible, you must: Be a member of the region that you are applying for Have been an MU member for at least the last year when you complete a nomination Have not been an MU employee for at least five years. You may also submit a candidate statement and photo. This is recommended in case an online ballot is required. Nominations open on Monday 28 September 2026 and are submitted online via the link below. The deadline for nominations, statements and photos is Friday 23 October 2026 at Midday. If you have access requirements, need a printable form or need help with the process, please email rc-elections@themu.org or phone your regional office. Before you apply Read about what it means to be an RC member and check that you are eligible to stand. Ask another current member to support your application for the RC (agree to ‘nominate’ you). You will need their name, MU membership number and email address that they give permission for you to share with us. They must confirm their support by replying to the email we send after you submit your nomination. Check your membership details by logging in to the MU website and selecting “My MU”. Your membership number and join date appear at the top of the page, and your region appears at the bottom. Prepare a candidate statement. If there are more valid nominations than places, an online ballot will be held and voting members will receive candidate statements and photos. Submit your nomination The online nomination form is straightforward. You must be logged in, select the region you are applying for, and check that your MU membership number and email address have autofilled correctly. You will then need to provide your nominator’s name, MU membership number and email address. What happens next? After receiving your nomination, we will email your nominator for confirmation. Your nomination will not be complete until they respond. We will check that both you and your nominator are eligible, including that you are members of the relevant region and that you have been an MU member for at least one year. Once checks are complete, that completes your nomination. We will not contact you again unless there is an issue with your nomination. If your nominator does not respond, or if eligibility checks raise an issue, we will contact you as soon as possible. If we cannot confirm that your nomination is valid, your name will not be included. We will also send you a link to submit a statement and photo if you wish. You can do this straight away or later, but both must be received by Friday 23 October 2026 at midday, and it is your responsibility to remember to do this, we won't remind you. If you or your nominator do not know your MU membership number, or if you have any concerns after submitting a nomination, please email rc-elections@themu.org. Key election information Nomination deadline A valid nomination must be received by Friday 23 October 2026 at midday. Online Ballot If nominations exceed vacancies in a region, an online ballot of that region’s members will be held from Monday 16 November 2026 to Monday 7 December 2026, closing at midday. Dates will be confirmed to candidates before the ballot. If nominations do not exceed vacancies, no ballot will be held. To receive an online ballot, a member must be recorded on the MU membership database as belonging to that region when ballot data is extracted. For 2026, this will be on or after 2 November 2026. Ballot results Ballot results received from the Independent Scrutineer will be published on the MU website. Independent Scrutineer The Executive Committee has appointed PIN Communications, The Tannery, Water Street, Stockport, SK1 2BP, as Independent Scrutineer for the elections. Candidate Statements You don't have to provide a statement or a photo, but if the seat you are applying for goes to a ballot you will likely be at a disadvantage if you don’t. Candidates may submit a statement of not more than 150 words for circulation with the ballot papers. This must be received via an online link no later than Friday 23 October 2026 at Midday. This link will be sent to you following receipt of your nomination so please allow time to do this. Details: Candidate name: the exact text for your name as you wish it to appear on the ballot e.g. Jen Baker if you prefer that to Jennifer Baker Candidate Statement (max 150 words). The exact text of your statement as you wish it to appear on the ballot. Click here to for more information on what members might typically include in a statement. You are responsible for the content of your statement, and we will not make any changes, including where there might be grammar or spelling errors for instance. Please check it is written as you wish it to be published. If your statement is over the word count and in the event that it is not possible to notify you and get an updated version, only the first 150 words will be included. Photographs Candidates may also submit a photograph for inclusion with their statement when standing for RC. In order that photographs can be included to the best possible standard, candidates are advised to: submit their photograph in black and white only, as all photographs will be published in monochrome; email their photograph as an attachment in jpeg format; ensure they are the only person in the photograph; and send a head and shoulders photograph, as all photographs will be cropped to head and shoulders format. Campaigning You may wish to carry out some campaigning activities to improve your chances of success. There are no restrictions placed on how you carry out your campaign, but you should bear in mind that, as with your statement, you are solely legally responsible for your actions. Online campaigning can be an effective tool, however, members might find our advice helpful if they encounter problems with harassment or abuse online. As part of the MU rules, all MU members are committed “to oppose actively all forms of harassment, prejudice and unfair discrimination whether on the grounds of sex, race, ethnic or national origin, religion, colour, class, caring responsibilities, marital status, sexuality, disability, age, or other status or personal characteristic”. Where a ballot for EC, RC, or Advisory Boards is taking place, the statement provided by a candidate and distributed to members is the relevant document for members deciding who to vote for. Consideration of other content present on MU channels as part of ongoing operation, or of additional content distributed by candidates or third parties is entirely the decision of that individual member and beyond the control of the MU.