Elections Rules and Regulations by University of Salford Students' Union

UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD STUDENTS’ UNION GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS USSU ELECTION REGULATIONS

GENERAL REGULATIONS AND COMPLAINTS

1.1

The Trustee Board shall have overall responsibility for all elections and shall be empowered to rule on any matter relating to the conduct of the elections.

1.2

The Trustee Board will appoint a Returning Officer who should be independent from the Trustee Board, preferably the NUS Regional Organiser. The Returning Officer shall be responsible for overseeing the fair conduct of the elections in accordance with these regulations. The Returning Officer shall be empowered to rule on the validity of any complaints arising from the conduct of candidates during the election and on any other matters arising from these regulations.

1.3

In addition, the Trustee Board shall nominate by resolution an Honorary Returning Officer, who may be a member of University staff or a senior member of staff at another Students‟ Union. The Honorary Returning Officer shall act as the route of appeal against a decision of the Returning Officer. The decision of the Honorary Returning Officer shall be final.

1.4

The Returning Officer shall be supported by a team of Deputy Returning Officers who shall normally be Sabbatical Trustees who are not standing in the elections or senior members of Union staff. The operational management of the elections shall be delegated to the Deputy Returning Officers whilst the Returning Officer deals with candidate complaints that are not resolved by the daily candidates‟ meeting and / or breaches of the regulations. Other than resolving complaints that cannot be handled within the daily candidates‟ meetings, Deputy Returning Officers will have full delegated authority to act on the Returning Officer‟s behalf during the election period.

1.5

All complaints about the conduct of the elections, other than the counting process should be made prior to the commencement of the count. The start of the count may be delayed in order for outstanding complaints to be addressed by the Returning Officer.

1.6

All complaints about the conduct of candidates or their supporters should be addressed to the Returning Officer in writing or via an email citing the regulation that has allegedly been broken. Failure to cite the appropriate regulation will result in the complaint being dismissed. The Returning Officer will consider all such complaints and provide a response to the complainant as soon as possible. If appropriate the Returning Officer shall have the power to suspend the election process at whatever point it has reached pending further investigation prior to taking action in accordance with these regulations. Following further investigation, the Returning Officer may:

1.7

1.6.1

Dismiss the complaint and take no further action

1.6.2

Dismiss the complaint but warn the candidate(s) in question over future conduct.

1.6.3

Uphold the complaint and if the Returning Officer believes one or more candidates have gained an electoral advantage through a breach of the regulations or if found to have engaged in corrupt practices as outlined in 1.7 below, disqualify the guilty candidate(s).

Corrupt practices shall be defined as

1.7.1

Giving money or making any gift to or for any voter in order to procure the vote of that voter.

1.7.2

Giving, providing or paying, wholly or in part, for any food, drink or entertainment for any voter in order to procure the vote of that voter.

1.7.3

Directly or indirectly by her/himself or by any other person on her/his behalf, making use of or threatening to make use of any force, violence, or restraint towards any other candidates in order to induce or compel that person to vote or refrain from campaigning.

1.7.4

Directly or indirectly by her/himself or by any other person on her/his behalf, making use of or threatening to make use of any force, violence, or restraint in order to induce or compel that person to vote or refrain from voting.

1.7.5

Falsification of any document or information that constitutes a requirement of the election procedures.

1.7.6

Directly or indirectly by her/himself or by any other person on her/his behalf breaking any rules or codes of conduct set out by the Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x; Union or the University of Salford governing behaviour and expectations of students, whether those rules are specifically related to the elections or not. This shall include but not be limited to any document listed or linked to at this location: http://www.getready.salford.ac.uk/rules

1.7.7

Any other serious misconduct or behaviour that undermines the conduct of the elections as determined by the Returning Officer.

1.8

If a decision to disqualify a candidate is reached in line with 1.6.3 above, the election shall continue however the Returning Officer must publicise the disqualification of the candidate, and notify voters that any first preference votes cast for that candidate will not count. Any first preference votes that have been cast for the disqualified candidate either before or after the decision being made will be disregarded in favour of any valid second or subsequent preference votes cast for other candidates on that ballot paper.

1.9

Any candidate wishing to appeal against the action of the Returning Officer in conjunction with sections 1.6 above should submit their objection in writing or via email to the Honorary Returning Officer before the commencement of the count. The Honorary Returning Officer shall hear the appeal before the count commences and take one of the following courses of action: 1.9.1

Dismiss the appeal, uphold the decision of the Returning Officer and proceed to the count.

1.9.2

Uphold the appeal, and overturn the decision of the Returning Officer.

1.10

In the event of the Honorary Returning Officer upholding an appeal against a decision of the Returning Officer to disqualify a candidate, they should request that the Trustee Board make void only the election in which that candidate was running and order nominations to be re-opened. All of the original candidates will be required to submit a new nomination for the re-run of the election.

1.11

Elections of members of the Trustee Board and of the Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x;s NUS National Conference delegation, except for the places taken by the President and the

President-Elect who shall be ex-officio members of the delegations, shall be conducted in accordance with the regulations for voting systems as detailed in section 9 below. 2. 2.1

2.2

TIMETABLES AND PROCEDURE Trustee Board Elections – model 1 2.1.1

Elections for the Trustee Board positions will be held by cross campus ballot in accordance with the following timetable, when USSU is not working collaboratively with other Unions.

2.1.2

Nominations open at 9am on the second Wednesday of Semester Two.

2.1.3

Nominations close at noon on the third Wednesday of Semester Two, and will be published by 5pm the same day.

2.1.4

Publicity is to be handed in by noon, on the fourth Wednesday of Semester Two.

2.1.5

A candidates‟ meeting will take place on the day nominations close, and on the day of the publicity deadline.

2.1.6

Voting in a paper ballot will take place over 4 consecutive days, starting on the fifth Monday of Semester Two.

2.1.7

Voting in an electronic ballot will take place from 4pm on the fourth Friday of Semester Two until 4pm on the fifth Thursday of Semester Two.

2.1.8

Counting of the votes in both paper and electronic ballots will take place on the evening after the closure of voting.

2.1.9

This timetable can be varied by one calendar week forward or back from the commencement of semester two dependent on the length of the Easter academic term.

2.1.10

The Trustee Board elections should be completed by the end of the Easter term.

Trustee Board Elections – model 2 2.2.1

Elections for the Trustee Board positions will be held by cross campus ballot in accordance with the following timetable, when USSU is working collaboratively with other Unions.

2.2.2

Nominations will open for a calendar month on a date to be agreed by the participating Unions.

2.2.3

Closure of nominations will be at a time agreed by the participating Unions and published when nominations open. Nominations will be published by 5pm on the day that they close.

2.2.4

On the day that nominations close, there will be a compulsory meeting for all participating candidates to inform them of the rules and regulations of the election process. Campaigning may commence at the end of this meeting.

2.2.5

Voting in an electronic ballot will commence on the Friday the week after the close of nominations. The time for voting to commence will be determined by the collaborating Unions.

2.2.6

Voting will be open until 4pm on the following Thursday.

2.2.7

For publicity to be available on the day that campaigning commences, it should be handed in for printing at least three working days in advance (ie by noon on the Monday to be ready by noon on the Thursday).

2.2.8

Counting the votes will take place on the evening after the closure of voting.

2.2.9

The Trustee Board elections should be completed by the end of the Easter term.

NUS Conference Delegation Elections

2.3

2.2.1

Elections for the NUS Conference delegation positions will be held by cross campus ballot in a timetable to be determined by the Trustee Board, but should normally be held in conjunction with one of the timetables outlined above for the Trustee Board elections.

2.2.2

The NUS Conference Delegation elections must be completed by the commencement of the annual NUS Conference.

By-Elections 2.3.1

Should the need arise, By-Elections for elected Union positions will be held by cross campus ballot in accordance with the following timetable

2.3.2

Nominations will open at 9am on a Monday.

2.3.3

Nominations close at noon on the Friday after they open.

2.3.4

Publicity is to be handed in by 10am, on the second Wednesday after nominations open.

2.3.5

A candidates‟ meeting will take place at 5pm on the day of the publicity deadline.

2.3.6

In the case of a Sabbatical Trustee by-election, an evening Candidates‟ Question Time event will take place on the Monday after the candidates‟ meeting.

2.3.7

Voting will take place over 3 consecutive days, starting on the Tuesday immediately after the Candidates‟ Question Time event.

2.3.8

Counting will take place as soon as possible after the close of voting.

2.3.9

This timetable can be varied by decision of the Trustee Board to fit in the remainder of the Easter term should there be vacancies following the closure of nominations for the Trustee Board elections.

2.3.9

By-elections must be completed within 20 working days of the opening of nominations, subject to the provision for insufficient nominations outlined in section 3.3 below.

2.4

Procedures 2.4.1

3. 3.1

3.2

Notice of each stage of the timetable shall be given in official publicity. The above timetables shall apply save where circumstances beyond the control of the Deputy Returning Officers shall prevent their application. In such circumstances the Deputy Returning Officers shall consult with the Returning Officer and make alternative arrangements. All procedures shall always be conducted in term time.

ELIGIBILITY AND NOMINATIONS Eligibility for Standing as a Candidate 3.1.1

All candidates for election shall be Ordinary Members of the Students‟ Union, able to provide proof of Union membership and of registration on a course of study at the University.

3.1.2

No Ordinary Member shall seek election for more than one post on the Trustee Board as set out in the relevant guidance document, in any set of elections.

3.1.3

Candidates for posts which are designated as sabbatical for the time being shall not be able to take office even if elected unless they shall either have completed their current course of study to date and be eligible to enter the next year of their course or have passed their final examination between the date of election and the date of the commencement of office.

3.1.4

A serving Sabbatical Trustee shall be eligible to stand for re-election to any of the sabbatical posts providing that they have served no more than one term of office in any of the posts.

3.1.5

No Ordinary Member shall seek election to one of the sabbatical trustee positions if they have previously served two terms of office in total in any of those posts which are designated as sabbatical for the time being.

Nominations Procedure 3.2.1

All candidates shall be nominated.

3.2.2

Nominations shall be submitted in a format agreed by the Deputy Returning Officers and shall contain the name, e-mail address, term-time address, course and year of the candidate, the position they are standing for and the names and signatures of the candidate‟s nominators.

3.2.3

Two Ordinary Members shall be required to nominate any candidate.

3.2.4

All candidates shall receive descriptions of the duties of the office to which election is sought.

3.2.5

Candidates for Trustee Board positions must complete and sign a form indicating their eligibility to hold trustee status.

3.2.6

The nomination forms of each successful candidate shall be kept by the Students‟ Union for their term of office.

3.3

3.2.7

No member of the Trustee Board shall nominate, endorse or campaign for any candidate in any Union election unless they themselves are also standing as a candidate in that election.

3.2.8

After the close of nominations and before the finish of polling no individual candidate‟s name shall be used in any Students‟ Union publication. The only exception to this being the voting week edition of Student Direct, or a centrally published manifestos document in which all candidates shall be given equal space.

Insufficient Nominations 3.3.1

In the event of the number of nominations to fill the posts to be contested in a multi vacancy election (such as the NUS Conference Delegation) not exceeding the vacant spaces to be elected then the Returning Officer shall declare elected those candidates who have submitted valid nominations by the appropriate deadline.

3.3.2

If the procedure outlined in 3.3.1 above results in positions being left unfilled, the Returning Officer will then reopen nominations for a by-election to fill any remaining vacant spaces.

3.3.3

In a by-election for the remaining vacancies in a multi vacancy election, the procedures outlined in 3.3.1 and 3.3.2 above shall apply in the event of the number of nominations received not exceeding the vacant spaces to be elected.

3.3.4

In the event of a by-election being held for a single vacancy election where only one valid nomination is received, the manifesto of the candidate will be published in Student Direct together with an invitation to members to request that the full election procedure is followed by signing a petition to that effect to be held in the Union‟s General Office for a period of one week. Where 30 or more ordinary members sign the petition the normal election procedures shall be followed. Where fewer than 30 ordinary members sign the petition the candidate will be declared elected and take up their post.

PUBLICITY

4.1

Each candidate may submit publicity for publication in support of their campaign in accordance with the timetable set out in section 2 above.

4.2

Trustee Board: The Union shall provide a printing budget of £65 for each candidate. Candidates in a Trustee Board election may submit the following publicity: 4.2.1

A head and shoulders photograph, to be taken against a plain white background of a size and resolution to be specified by the Deputy Returning Officers. Failure to do so by the close of nominations will result in the candidate not having a photograph on the ballot paper or on the online list of nominations. The Deputy Returning Officers will not be responsible for following up candidates who do not submit a photograph.

4.2.2

An online manifesto in a format to be determined by the Deputy Returning Officers prior to the opening of nominations. Each candidate will be asked to produce this statement at the point of confirming their nomination. This statement will also be used in a document linked to the ballot paper.

4.3

4.4

4.2.3

Any posters, flyers or manifestos they wish to have produced within their printing allowance. All such publicity must be submitted electronically as PDF documents on a memory stick or CD-ROM. A paper copy of all publicity, mocked up to demonstrate how it should be reproduced must also be submitted. Failure to do so will be the responsibility of the candidate. Failure to conform to the electronic format specification, even if submitted before the notified deadline, may result in the production of a candidate‟s publicity being delayed. The Deputy Returning Officers will inform a candidate by email who fails to conform to that specification. It is then up to that candidate produce the document in the correct format and submit it for printing.

4.2.4

A 100 word statement for publication in Student Direct.

4.2.5

A video manifesto lasting no more than 1 minute filmed under conditions determined by the Deputy Returning Officers.

4.2.6

Such other publicity as may be required to make a fair representation of the candidate on the Union‟s website, as determined by the Deputy Returning Officers.

NUS Conference Delegation. The Union will not fund any candidate publicity. Candidates in an election for the delegation may submit the following publicity: 4.3.1

4.3.2

4.3.3

A 100 word statement for publication in Student Direct.

4.3.4

Such publicity as may be required to make a fair representation of the candidate on the Union‟s website, as determined by the Returning Officers.

Student Council. The Union shall provide a printing budget of £20 for each candidate. Candidates in a Student Council election may submit the following publicity: 4.4.1

4.4.2

publicity, mocked up to demonstrate how it should be reproduced must also be submitted. Failure to do so will be the responsibility of the candidate. Failure to conform to the electronic format specification, even if submitted before the notified deadline, may result in the production of a candidate‟s publicity being delayed. The Deputy Returning Officers will inform a candidate by email who fails to conform to that specification. It is then up to that candidate produce the document in the correct format and submit it for printing. 4.4.3

Any posters, flyers or manifestos they wish to have produced within their printing allowance. All such publicity must be submitted electronically as PDF documents on a memory stick. Failure to do so will be the responsibility of the candidate. Failure to conform to that specification even if submitted before the notified deadline may result in the production of a candidate‟s publicity being delayed. The Deputy Returning Officers will inform a candidate by email who fails to conform to that specification. It is then up to that candidate produce the document in the correct format. A paper copy of all publicity, mocked up to demonstrate how it should be reproduced should also be submitted.

4.4.4

A 100 word statement for publication in Student Direct.

4.4.5

Such publicity as may be required to make a fair representation of the candidate on the Union‟s website, as determined by the Returning Officers.

4.5

In addition to the Union funded publicity specified above, candidates in any election shall be allowed to incur expenditure from their own resources up to a maximum of £40 in value to publicise their campaign. Value will be determined as being the cost of materials used at the price at which they could be obtained from Union outlets. The money shall not be refundable by the Union.

4.6

All receipts and accounts for election expenses incurred by a candidate shall be presented to the nominated Deputy Returning Officer within one hour of the close of voting.

4.7

No election publicity bearing a candidate‟s name need bear a Union stamp prior to display.

4.8

All publicity must be submitted in a camera-ready format for production in the Union‟s Print Shop. No printed materials may be obtained from elsewhere. Each position will have its Union funded publicity produced in black and white text on any available colour of paper. The exception will be on large format posters where a candidate can choose to have colour printing on a white background. The elections guide will specify any variation to the printing requirements. It will be the candidate‟s responsibility to ensure that all images and text are of sufficient reproductive quality. No sticky labels shall be used.

4.11

All election publicity is to bear the name of the candidate. No election publicity shall explicitly criticise other candidates nor mention any Union staff member.

4.12

A Deputy Returning Officer must approve all election publicity as being free from expletives, offensive material, or discrimination in respect of race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age or political belief. If in the opinion of a Deputy Returning Officer any materials display expletives, offensive material or any

of the aforementioned discrimination, such materials may not be produced by or on behalf of a candidate. 4.13

Candidates running for different positions may team up and run a joint campaign, hereafter called a slate. Candidates running a slate may endorse candidates for other positions on their election material.

4.14

If candidates running a slate are using a single design poster, manifesto or other form of publicity between them for their Union funded publicity, then each of these candidates shall receive 1/3 of the normal printing budget or £65 whichever is the greater.

4.15

For candidates running a slate the cost of any additional publicity, as defined in 4.7 above, which names the other member(s) of the slate shall be treated as if each candidate had individually incurred the expense of that advertising and not divided between them.

4.16

If any individual simply advertises themselves and the collective name of the slate then providing this collective name is not the name of another individual member of the slate then this advertising shall be treated as relating to only one individual and not all members of the slate.

CANDIDATES’ MEETINGS

5.1

In accordance with the timetables set out in section 2 above a meeting will be organised for all election candidates following the close of nominations.

5.2

Prior to the candidates‟ meeting, the Trustee Board will decide whether the election will be held using an electronic ballot or a paper ballot, and whether the election is being run collaboratively with other Unions or not.

5.3

The Returning Officer or their Deputy will brief the candidates on the election regulations and outline the conduct s/he expects of the candidates throughout the election in order to comply with the regulations. All candidates will be required to sign a document indicating that they have read and understood the rules and will abide by them during the course of the election.

5.4

Assuming it has been submitted in time, the Returning Officer will distribute at least 50% of the candidate‟s Union funded publicity in order to allow campaigning to begin.

5.5

During voting week, there will be a compulsory meeting every weekday morning between the candidates (or a nominated representative) and the Deputy Returning Officers. The meeting will discuss the conduct of the election so far, notify the candidates of any complaints or issues surrounding their conduct, and seek to resolve them through consensus. Each candidate or their nominee will be required to sign a document indicating that they are satisfied with the conduct of the election up to that point, that there are no outstanding issues and that any complaints or concerns have been satisfactorily resolved subject to the appeal process outlined in section 1.

6. 6.1

CAMPAIGNING No campaigning may begin until after the candidates‟ meeting has taken place following the close of nominations.

6.2

Candidates may use the following Union facilities and no other for the purpose of campaigning. 6.2.1

Approved Union Notice Boards.

6.2.2

Any Union trading service on the same terms as any other ordinary member.

6.2.3

Meeting Rooms administered by the Union under the booking system in force for the time being.

6.3

Committees, student activity groups and other bodies of the Union shall not use funds to campaign on behalf of candidates.

6.4

Official Union publications may, with the approval of the Returning Officer, advertise elections and give information concerning candidates providing that fair and equal access is given to all candidates.

6.5

Under no circumstances can the Union offices be used to advertise any candidate.

6.6

No member of Union permanent staff shall be allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates in an election. This does not include the Sabbatical Officers, subject to clause 3.2.7.

6.7

No member of the Union‟s casual student staff shall be allowed to campaign for or wear the publicity of a candidate in the Union elections whilst carrying out the duties for which they are employed. This does not include the Sabbatical Officers, subject to clause 3.2.7.

6.8

Any candidate in the elections who normally works as a member of the Union‟s student staff will not be able to work for the Union from the close of the candidates‟ meeting until the closure of voting. This does not include the Sabbatical Officers.

6.9

Candidates are responsible for the actions of their supporters during an election campaign and the Returning Officer shall, in accordance with section 1, be empowered to discipline any candidate who themselves or through their supporters are responsible for breaking any of the Election Regulations. 6.9.1

In the instance of a first complaint being upheld against members of a candidate‟s campaign team, the relevant people shall be dismissed from taking any further part in the election process, except attendance in order to vote.

6.9.2

If members of campaign teams previously dismissed from the election process are later found to be campaigning on behalf of a candidate, that candidate shall be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with section 1 of these regulations.

6.10

In a paper ballot, during voting, no candidate or person campaigning on their behalf may conduct the campaign or be within a 25 metre radius, nor be in the same room as the ballot box.

6.11

In an electronic election, where the Union organises electronic ballot boxes, 6.10 above will still apply.

6.12

Any person campaigning on behalf of a candidate must be either a current ordinary member of the University of Salford Students‟ Union, or a member of the University of Salford alumni. Any candidate not adhering to this regulation will be subject to the complaint procedures outlined in section 1 of these regulations.

6.13

Candidates may use any electronic forum owned by the Union and specified for that purpose to debate with one another publicly. All candidates should consider their posts as publicity, adhering to the same standards as set out in regulation 4.11. Posts which the Returning Officer or their Deputies believe to contravene these standards will be removed and the candidate shall be liable to be disciplined if the Returning Officer considers it appropriate.

CANDIDATES’ QUESTION TIME

7.1

The Union will ask the Debating Society to organise a candidates‟ debate for the posts of President and Vice President under the rules of the Debating Society. The event will take place at a time and location and in a format agreed with the Deputy Returning Officers.

7.2

The Returning Officer can make provision for an online, filmed Candidates‟ Question Time to take place with the candidates making a speech and answering questions submitted by students under conditions determined by the Deputy Returning Officers.

8. 8.1

8.2

VOTING Voting Times 8.1.1

Voting shall be organised for all elections in accordance with the timetable set out in section 2 above.

8.1.2

The Deputy Returning Officers shall propose voting times for paper ballots to Trustee Board for approval.

8.1.3

Paper ballot voting times shall include at least one hour in each of the following buildings: University House, Crescent House, Allerton Building / Mary Seacole Building, Adelphi Building, Clifford Whitworth Building, and any locations that the Deputy Returning Officers chooses to recommend.

8.1.4

These times and locations shall be notified to all the candidates by the close of nominations, through Student Direct throughout the period of polling and on the Union website.

8.1.5

In an electronic ballot, the Returning Officer may shall propose times and locations to set up electronic polling stations. These time and locations will be publicised as in 8.1.4 above.

Ballot papers 8.2.1

Each ballot paper shall carry the title of the post for which the election is being held, whether it includes delegate status to N.U.S. Annual Conference and a serial number.

8.2.2

Names of the candidates shall be printed in alphabetical order in common with the practice in national or local elections. Names shall be printed;

surname in upper case first, followed by all stated other names in lower case, e.g. DUCK, Donald Arthur. 8.2.3 8.2.4

All ballot papers for single vacancy elections only shall enable a member to vote to re-open nominations. The only other wording on the paper shall be: A „number check‟. Please check that this paper has an index number stamped on the right hand corner. If not, please return it and ask for a replacement. The voting procedure: “Number the candidates according to your preference 1, 2, 3 etc. starting with a 1 for your preferred candidate. You need not number all the candidates”. The kind of mark: “The only valid voting mark is a number or sequence of numbers beginning with a 1. Any other marks, including crosses, ticks and writing render the paper invalid”.

8.2.5

In an electronic ballot, the ballot paper seen on screen will contain: the title of the post for which the election is being held and whether it includes delegate status to N.U.S. Annual Conference the names of the candidates which, subject to the software in use, will either be in a randomised order that will be differently produced for each voter, or in alphabetical order in common with the practice in national or local elections. a photograph of each candidate next to their name a link to the candidates‟ manifestos for single vacancy elections only, the candidate “Re-Open Nominations” The voting procedure: “Number the candidates according to your preference 1, 2, 3 etc. starting with a 1 for your preferred candidate. You need not number all the candidates”. The kind of mark: “The only valid voting mark is a number or sequence of numbers beginning with a 1”

8.3

Ballot Box and Voting Procedures 8.3.1

A record of the University roll number of all voters shall be kept. ID cards shall be presented at the ballot boxes before a ballot paper is issued to a member and the roll number checked off. The photo on the card must match the cardholder. When a Union member votes the ballot box official shall ensure that his/her initials are written next to the member‟s roll number on the checklist.

8.3.2

The ballot box shall be staffed at all times by two people, of whom at least one shall be a member of Union staff or the appointed Returning Officer or Deputy Returning Officer. The two persons staffing the ballot box shall return

it to the Union‟s Finance Office immediately after the end of each polling opportunity. Under direct control of the Returning Officer or the Deputy Returning Officers, ballot papers shall be transferred to an envelope, which shall be sealed, and the one of those four people‟s signature written across the seal. These envelopes shall be stored in the Union‟s safe and shall be collected by the Returning Officer in conjunction with a senior member of the Union„s staff for presentation to the count.

8.4

8.5

8.3.3

Copies of all manifestos shall be available for inspection at the ballot box when voting is taking place.

8.3.4

The Returning Officer shall ensure that the ballot is secret. There shall be no conferring over ballot papers. If papers have been conferred over they shall be spoilt as specified below and a new paper issued.

8.3.5

No ballot paper shall be taken out of the area designated by the Returning Officer in which the voting is taking place.

8.3.6

As stated in 6.10 above no candidate or person campaigning on their behalf may be within a 25-metre radius, nor be in the same room as the ballot box.

8.3.7

If a paper is spoilt for any reason it must be displayed immediately to the ballot box official then on duty. The official must write the word “spoilt” or “void” across the paper, put the paper in the ballot box and then issue a new paper.

8.3.8

At the beginning and the end of each polling opportunity the two persons staffing the ballot box shall record the opening and closing numbers of the ballot papers cast.

8.3.9

Two or more A2 (or larger) posters should be displayed near each ballot box to demonstrate how to vote. These should utilise the names of fictional characters (eg. “Mickey Mouse, Homer Simpson”); famous celebrities (eg. “Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts”); or any other generic names. The names used must be well known yet bear no resemblance to that of any candidate

Postal Voting 8.4.1

Postal votes shall be made available upon request to any ordinary member of the Union who is unavoidably absent from the University for reasons of illness, academic study, job interview or similar reasons during the voting.

8.4.2

Ordinary members wishing to make use of postal votes shall indicate their intention to the Returning Officer by the close of nominations.

8.4.3

The member shall submit to the Returning Officer his/her address, course, year and registration number in writing.

8.4.4

Postal ballots will be sent to members providing they informed the Returning Officer of their address, course, year and registration number in writing.

Voting methods 8.5.1

Single vacancy elections shall be conducted under the Alternative Voting System, and counted according to the process outlined in 9.8 below.

8.5.2

8.6

Multi vacancy elections shall be conducted under the Single Transferable Voting System and counted in accordance with rules laid down by the Electoral Reform Society.

Online Voting 8.6.1

The Trustee Board shall approve the general arrangements for online voting on an annual basis. Any arrangements should be in keeping with the general provisions of these regulations.

8.6.2

The Trustee Board shall be responsible for approving the appointment of a provider of online voting. Any such provider must be able to demonstrate full compliance with the Data Protection Act have in place a suitable privacy policy relating to the use of student data and that the software for calculating the votes cast uses a methodology satisfactory to the rules of the Electoral Reform Society as referred to in 8.5 above.

8.6.3

Eligibility for receiving an electronic vote in the Trustee Board elections will be to include students registered on all levels at the University by 31 January preceding the election. This would include all students who have registered in that academic session and those who have not graduated during the earlier part of this session. For the avoidance of doubt eligibility would not include the following students (due to their status within the University, or the inability to capture their data in time to process it for use in the ballot): i.

incoming visiting and exchange students from overseas who are due to start studying in Semester Two,

ii.

visiting and exchange students from overseas whose association with the University of Salford ended at the close of Semester 1,

iii.

postdoctoral students,

iv.

students studying for the whole of their programme of study outside of the UK,

withdrawn students,

vi.

students who are dormant, have been expelled or are on a leave of absence/ interruption of study from the University,

vii.

students who are writing up,

viii.

students who have requested that the University does not share their data with the Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x; Union,

ix.

students who have exercised their right not to be a member of the Union under the 1994 Education Act.

8.6.4

In any by-election or referendum taking place outside of the Trustee Board election timetable, the Trustee Board shall be empowered to determine the cut off date for student eligibility to vote in that election in accordance with clause 8.6.3 above.

8.6.5

Where electronic polling stations are organised, they shall operate in keeping with the provisions of clauses 8.3.3 to 8.3.6 and 8.3.9 above.

8.6.6

The start of electronic voting for the Trustee Board elections will be as specified in 2.1.8 above, subject to the ability of the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x;s student email programme to process the delivery of the invitations to vote. As a consequence, the Returning Officer will not accept complaints about the non

delivery of voting emails until at least 48 hours after the start of the voting period. 8.6.8

The nominated provider of the Union's online voting service will be required to produce a statement attesting to the security of their voting software, and the protection afforded against any attempt at voting fraud.

COUNTING

General Provisions 9.1

Counting shall take place as soon after the close of voting as is practicable and the result declared at the end of the count.

9.2

The Returning Officer shall appoint a Counting Officer, responsible for all matters relating to the counting of ballot papers, who shall normally be the Chief Executive or his/her nominee.

9.3

The Counting Officer shall be responsible to the Returning Officer for the conduct of the count. S/he shall appoint Assistant Counting Officers, who shall not be candidates or have associated themselves in any way with the campaign of any candidate.

9.4

In the event of a dispute concerning the conduct of the count the Returning Officer may alternatively order that the Electoral Reform Society conduct the count.

9.5

In single vacancy elections, “Re-Open Nominations” shall be considered as a candidate for counting purposes. No other candidate will be elected unless s/he obtains a vote higher than “Re-Open Nominations”.

9.6

Complaints about the conduct of the count should be made to Returning Officer who may order the process to be suspended whilst the complaint is considered. The Returning Officer shall follow the process outlined in section 1.6 above in considering complaints relating to the count.

Paper Ballots 9.7

Only the Sabbatical Officers, the Returning Officers, the Counting Officer, Assistant Counting Officers, the Honorary Returning Officer, the candidates and each candidate‟s appointed scrutineer shall be entitled to attend the count. The Counting Officer shall be empowered to exclude any person who conducts her/himself in a way that might interfere with the conduct of the count. Candidates and/or their scrutineers shall not be allowed within three feet of the ballot papers.

9.8

In elections where multiple delegates are being selected the count may be undertaken utilising a computerised single transferable vote counting software. The ballot papers will be entered by a member of the Union‟s staff under the direct supervision of the Returning Officer. The number of each ballot paper shall be recorded and any candidate or their agent will be entitled to check that each ballot paper has been individually entered correctly. The process of entering the election data shall take place after the end of polling for the election.

Electronic Ballots 9.9

At the close of voting, the provider of the electronic voting portal will utilise their software to count the votes. As the results become available they will be supplied

electronically to the Counting Officer and opened in the presence of the Returning Officer or their Deputies. 9.10

Only the Returning Officer, the Counting Officer and/or their nominees shall be entitled to see the results before they are announced to the candidates.

9.11

On completion of the count, results will be announced in a suitable venue to all candidates or their nominees and published on the Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x;s website.

9.12

Alternative Voting System The Counting Officer shall ensure that elections conducted under the Alternative Voting System are counted as follows. a) Sort the voting papers according to first preferences, setting aside any invalid papers. b) Count the voting papers, to determine the first preferences cast for each candidate and, hence, the total valid vote. c) If a candidate has a majority of 50% plus one of the valid votes cast (hereinafter called an overall majority) at this stage, s/he shall be deemed elected. d) If no candidate has an overall majority of the valid votes cast, the candidate with the least votes shall be eliminated and her/his transferable votes shall be identified. e) The transferable votes of the eliminated candidate shall be distributed between the remaining candidates, at full value, according to the second preference indicated on the voting paper. Such voting papers shall be transferred to the remaining candidates in identifiable bundles. f)

If a candidate has a majority of the valid votes cast at this stage, s/he shall be deemed elected.

g) If no candidate has a majority of the valid votes cast, the remaining candidate with the least vote shall be eliminated. Her/his transferable votes shall be identified from first preference votes, as in (e) above, and form transferred bundles according to the third preference indicated on the voting paper. h) If a candidate has a majority of the valid votes cast at this stage, s/he shall be deemed elected.

9.13

If no candidate has a majority of the valid votes cast, the procedure outlined above shall be repeated until an overall majority is achieved for one candidate, and that candidate shall be deemed elected.

Publish an election result sheet.

If, in any election, the Returning Officers and the Counting Officer deem a vote to be tied at any stage of the counting process, it shall be resolved by the toss of a coin. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Headsâ&#x20AC;? shall be allocated to the candidate listed first on the ballot paper out of the tied candidates.

9.14. Posting of Results 9.14.1

The election results shall be posted within the Union directly after the election and on the website and in Student Direct as soon as possible thereafter.

9.14.2

In the case of single seat elections the final number of votes accorded to each candidate before elimination or election shall be posted.

9.14.3

In the case of multi-seat elections the number of the stage at which each candidate was elected for winning candidates shall be posted.

10. TERMS OF OFFICE 10.1

The terms of office for members of the Trustee Board shall be as set out in the Students‟ Union Constitution and as detailed in the strategy and guidance document on being a Trustee.

10.2

Sabbatical and Student Trustees shall take up office on first day of July and relinquish office 12 months later.

10.3

Those elected to the delegation to the National Conference of the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom shall take office on the day following the declaration of the results and relinquish office on the day following the end of the conference to which they are elected.

10.4

The election for the post of President shall include delegate status to N.U.S. Annual Conference both as President-elect and when in office the following year. The ballot form will clearly state that the position being contested is also for “Delegate to the N.U.S. Annual Conference”. No other Trustee Board position shall hold delegate status.

10.5

Any candidate standing for the post of President shall not be eligible to enter the general ballot for the remaining N.U.S. Conference delegation places, if the two elections are held simultaneously.

10.6

Those elected to any post designated as sabbatical for the time being shall be required to sign and complete a document detailing the full terms of office as approved by the Trustee Board from time to time together with a contract of employment as specified in the Constitution.

10.7

The Chief Executive shall be empowered to countersign the terms of office document of the candidates declared elected for each sabbatical post on behalf of the Union. The document shall be subordinate to and be deemed to incorporate all the relevant provisions of the constitution.

10.8

Any office holder elected under the terms of these regulations is subject to the provisions of the Constitution of the Students‟ Union in terms of their removal, resignation or disqualification from office. For the avoidance of doubt, those provisions are: “68.

The office of a Trustee shall be vacated if:-

68.1

he or she ceases to be a Trustee by virtue of any provision of the Act or he or she becomes prohibited by law from being a Trustee; or

68.2

he or she becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his or her creditors generally; or

68.3

he or she is, or may be, suffering from mental disorder and either:-

68.3.1

he or she is admitted to hospital in pursuance of an application for admission for treatment under the Mental Health Act 1983 or, in Scotland, an application for admission under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1960; or

68.3.2

an order is made by a court having jurisdiction (whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere) in matters concerning mental disorder for his or her detention or for the appointment of a receiver, curator bonis or other person to exercise powers with respect to his or her property or affairs; or

68.4

he or she resigns his or her office by notice to the Students‟ Union (but only if at least two Trustees will remain in office when the notice of resignation is to take effect).

68.5

he or she is the subject of a non-binding motion of no confidence passed by the Union Assembly in accordance with the Bye-Laws and this is ratified by the Trustees subject to Regulations 68.6, 68.7 or 68.8;

68.6

he or she is absent from two consecutive (or three in total) meetings of the Trustees without good cause; or

68.7

he or she is removed by a resolution of the members passed by a two thirds majority at a general meeting; or

68.8

he or she is a Non-Student Trustee and is removed by a resolution to that effect passed by at least a two –thirds majority of the Trustees.

68.9

he or she is an Elected Trustee and is removed by a two-thirds majority of the Elected Trustees.”

11. REFERENDA Principles 11.1

In keeping with the Constitution, referenda shall determine the policy of the Union, or be used to amend the Constitution.

11.2

A referendum may be called on receipt of a petition of 1% of the Full Members of the Union or by a simple majority decision of the Trustees. A Returning Officer shall be appointed to organise the referenda in accordance with section 1 of this document.

11.3

The referendum shall be held no sooner than 6 days and not later than 20 days following the decision of the Trustees or receipt of the petition.

11.4

Any decision or petition for a referendum shall specify a single proposal or separate proposals each of which shall not exceed 50 words, except in the case of Constitutional amendments and which can be answered by a “Yes” or “No” vote.

11.5

In the case of proposed amendments to the Ordinance, Regulations or Bye-Laws the full wording of the amendments shall be clearly displayed adjacent to the polling station.

11.6

The proposal to be considered shall be displayed in the Union and on its website within one day of receipt of the petition or the decision to organise a referendum.

11.7

Prior to the referendum the Returning Officer shall organise a meeting, open to all Full Members, to debate the proposal.

11.8

The proposers and opponents of a referendum shall be entitled to produce a statement of not more than 200 words and proposers and opponents of amendments a statement of not more than 100 words, for publication.

11.9

The Referendum shall be conducted by means of a secret ballot open to all Full Members and voting should be held in accordance with the provision for elections as set out in section 8 of this document.

11.10 For its result to be binding on the Union a referendum shall be required to reach a quorum of the members of the Union as specified in the Constitution. Campaigning and Publicity 11.11 For each referendum proposal submitted, the Returning Officer or their Deputies shall put out a call for Full Members of the Union to run a “Yes” and “No” campaign based on the question posed. The Returning Officer shall determine the deadline for responding to the request. 11.12 There shall only be one “Yes” campaign and one “No” campaign funded by the Union. Should a referendum be running alongside the Students‟ Union Trustee Board elections, then any candidate receiving funding from the Union for the Trustee Board elections shall not be accepted as the leader of a “Yes” or “No” campaign. There shall be no cross promotion of a “Yes” or “No” campaign on any Trustee Board candidates‟ publicity, nor shall there be any cross funding of campaigns. 11.13 Referenda campaign publicity shall be subject to the same rules as observed by election candidates as set out in this document. 11.14 Each campaign may submit publicity for publication in support of their campaign no later than 7 calendar days before voting commences in the referendum. 11.15 Campaign teams in a referendum may submit the following publicity: 11.15.1

A statement of no more than 200 words supporting or opposing the motion.

11.15.2

An A3 poster of single design.

11.15.3

A 100 word statement for publication in Student Direct.

11.15.4

An A4 statement (which may replicate the 200 word statement above) for publication in a Candidates‟ Guide.

11.15.5

A 1 minute video manifesto, filmed under conditions determined by the Returning Officer

11.15.6

Such other publicity as may be required to make a fair representation of the candidate on the Union‟s website, as determined by the Returning Officers.

11.16 The Union shall provide a printing budget of £65 to be spent in the Union Print Shop to facilitate each campaign. 11.17 In addition to the Union funded publicity specified above, each campaign in any referendum shall be allowed to incur expenditure up to a maximum of £40 in value to publicise their campaign. Value will be determined as being the cost of materials used at the price at which they could be obtained from Union outlets. The money shall not be refundable by the Union. 11.18 All receipts and accounts for election expenses incurred by a campaign shall be presented to the Returning Officer within one hour of the close of voting. 11.19 No referendum publicity of the official Yes or No campaigns need bear a Union stamp prior to display. 11.20 All publicity must be submitted in a camera-ready format for production in the Union‟s Print Shop. No printed materials may be obtained from elsewhere. All photocopying will be in black and white. It will be the candidate‟s responsibility to ensure that all images and text are of sufficient reproductive quality. No sticky labels shall be used. 11.21 The regulations applying to campaigning in Trustee Board elections as set out in section 6 of this document shall apply to referendum campaigns. 11.22 In the case of a referendum concerning the Union‟s affiliation to the National Union of Students (NUS), representatives of the NUS would be allowed to operate a campaign team to promote affiliation to the NUS providing that it is operated within the regulations outlined above with specific reference to financial expenditure. Voting 11.23 All voting in a referendum shall be held in accordance with the regulation set out in clause 8 of this document, save as varied below. 11.24 Ballot papers (paper or electronic) shall specify the question under consideration and contain the voting choices of either “Yes” or “No”. 11.25 Paper ballots shall require the voter to place an “X” next to either the “Yes” or “No” boxes to signify their vote. 11.26 Electronic ballots shall require the voter to make an electronic check next to either the “Yes” or “No” boxes to signify their vote.

Counting 11.27 Counting of votes shall be consistent with the procedures set out in clause 9 of this document, save as varied below. 11.28 Provided that the constitutional quorum of votes for a referendum has been achieved, a simple majority shall determine the outcome of the vote. 11.29 The result of the referendum shall be announced as soon as is possible after the conclusion of the count, and published on the Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x;s website.