A referendum is a ballot in which all SU members are entitled to cast a vote. Make sure you have your say - cast your vote below!

Upcoming Referenda – Have Your Say!

On 5th February, LSESU will be holding referenda on four important proposals. This is your chance to shape the future of your Students’ Union and the work we do.

What is a Referendum, and what does it mean?

A referendum is a vote by the entire student body on specific proposals. If a motion passes, it becomes a student policy. This matters because Students' Union policy helps shape our priorities and allows us to allocate staff time and resources to actively work on those issues. That could mean lobbying the School, running campaigns, or creating new initiatives. In short, your vote helps decide what the Union works on.

 

Winter Term 2026 Referenda

Voting will appear here at 8am on 5th February. Voting will be open 8am-8pm.

Should LSESU lobby departments to host formal dinners and events to strengthen student community, encourage academic discussion, and enhance LSE’s reputation?

This motion was proposed by a student and taken to Autumn Term Student Panel. It did not receive enough votes in favour to outright pass as a policy, so will be taken to an all student referendum.

The motion aims to make it a priority for LSESU to lobby the school to introduce departmental formal dinners.

Should LSESU reform its internal operations to improve efficiency, transparency, communication, and student engagement?

This motion was proposed by a student and taken to Autumn Term Student Panel. It did not receive enough votes in favour to outright pass as a policy, so will be taken to an all student referendum.

The aim of this motion is to make LSESU look internally at how it operates and reform internal operations to remove bureaucracy.

Should LSESU disaffiliate from the National Union of Students (NUS)?

This motion has been put forward to referenda because of a petition that gained over 100 signatures.

Should LSESU renew its expired policy to lobby LSE to divest and promote the boycott of the NSS survey?

This motion has been put forward to referenda because of a petition that gained over 100 signatures.

 

You should vote FOR if you agree that the SU should adopt the proposal. You should vote AGAINST if you don't agree that the SU should adopt the proposal. You can also vote to ABSTAIN. 

How you vote is entirely up to you but make sure to make an informed decision about the proposal. Read the proposal in full, and consider the arguments for and against.

 

Why are these referenda taking place?

Referenda are a key part of the Union's democratic structure.

Ideas for referenda are submitted by students. A referendum can be called by a petition of over 100 students, via the Trustee Board, or (most commonly) if a Policy Panel fails to reach a 3/4s majority decision and cannot outright pass as a Union policy.

What am I even voting about?

You are voting on whether or not the Students' Union should believe and act on the issues and solutions raised in the policy. The results of the referendum could kickstart the Union into putting staff, time, and resources into working towards the aims of the proposal. 

Remember, you aren't just voting on the title, your are voting on the proposal as a whole. Make sure to read the proposal, and the cases for and against, to decide whether the topics put forward are definitely something the SU should be committing it's resources to.

Winter Term 2026 Referenda

What are we voting on?

These student proposed motions went through the Student Panel process but didn’t receive enough votes to become policy outright:

Should LSESU lobby departments to host formal dinners and events to strengthen student community, encourage academic discussion, and enhance LSE’s reputation?

Should LSESU reform its internal operations to improve efficiency, transparency, communication, and student engagement?

These proposals have reached referendum stage after petitions with over 100 signatures:

Should LSESU disaffiliate from the National Union of Students (NUS)?

Should LSESU renew its expired policy to lobby LSE to divest and promote the boycott of the NSS survey?

What can my vote actually do?

If a proposal has passed via a referendum, it becomes a Policy that the Union will work on until the end of the next academic year. It is the responsibility of our Executive Committee to ensure that policies actually get done. The success of a policy depends on a lot of factors including how much lobbying power the SU has, resources, quality of the policy, and the willingness of the School to meet our demands.

The more votes a referendum receives, the bigger the mandate we have to lobby for change.

Referenda rules Complaints

In order to ensure our referenda are free and fair, all campaigners must follow the Referenda Rules. To complain about the conduct of a campaign team, please fill out our Referenda Complaints Form

Referendum Update - 5th February: 

Our upcoming referendum will take place on the 5th February from 8am until 8pm. Voting will take place on this website. 

Site design by Elliot Parker.