The annual University of Alberta Students' Union elections for both the Students' Union executives and Students' Council are just a month away, and the nomination period is underway. 

If you're asking yourself, "Should I run?" the answer from the Students' Union is a resounding "Yes!" 

In September 2017, the Students' Union released the Identity Matters report, which found that identity – particularly gender – has an enormous influence on students' descisions to run in election campaign, their experiences during the campaign, and their experience in their roles if elected. 

Because diversity is so important to providing effective, inclusive representation of the entire students' body, the Students' Union has undertaken many steps to equip and encourage all students to participate in elections, including launching STRIDE, a co-hort program from women and non-binary students to learn more about student governance and the election process. The #UASUgotthis campaign exists to encourage all students from all backgrounds to get involved in the Students' Union elections.

Shane Scott, VP Academic of the Student's Union, says that while STRIDE and the new campaign are a step in the right direction, there's still work to do. "This campaign shouln't be seen as a celebration for how far we may think we’ve come. It's actually about how far we have to go. It it up to us and to students across campus to help change the narrative around our campus elections. We all need to create an environment that supports those brave individuals who decide to step up and run."

Convinced to run? Nomination papers and information about how to run are available online. The deadline for Executive nominations in February 15.