GSA Election Official Announcement

Dear Graduate Students of Concordia University of Edmonton,

The Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE) hosts an election every March for positions on the Executive Council of the Graduate Student Association (GSA). This year’s GSA election will take place March 11 – 14, 2024.

THE ELECTION

If you are interested in being elected to the GSA executive council or to the Graduate Representative Council (GRC) and helping to lead the GSA in 2024-2025, then please take note of the following information:

1) The Electoral Returning Officer (ERO): The ERO for the 2024 GSA election is Hrishil Shah (hshah1@student.concordia.ab.ca). Hrishil is responsible for ensuring that the GSA elections are fair and free, and that they are conducted according to the bylaws and policies of the GSA. Hrishil will not be running for office and will be excluded from voting in GSA elections; his job is to ensure that the election campaign and the election itself is carried out properly.

2) The Deputy Returning Officer (DRO): The DRO for the 2024 GSA election is Sukhdeep Bhullar (sbhullar@student.concordia.ab.ca). Sukhdeep is responsible to assist the ERO to ensuring that the GSA elections are fair and free and that they are conducted according to the bylaws and policies of the GSA. Sukhdeep will not be running for office and will be excluded from voting in GSA elections.

THE NOMINATION PROCESS

3) Please find attached the following documents:

a) Description of positions on the GSA Executive Council: this document lists all of the positions to which all CUE Graduate Students may be elected. Please note that only one person can be elected to each position on the GSA Executive. With respect to program representatives, students in every graduate program (Psy, EL, EPHP, ISAM, ISSM, and IT) are permitted (see bullet #4 in section c below for conditions) to elect representatives on the GSA Executive. Please note that positions on the GSA Executive are compensated. The Positions Available are: –

President
Vice President Academic Affairs & External Relations
Vice President Student Affairs
Vice President Finance & Services

b) Description of positions on the Graduate Representative Committee: GRC is a group of active members of GSA which consists of GSA Executive Council and Graduate Program Representatives from eligible departments as defined in the GSA Bylaws. The positions available for Graduate Program Representatives are: –

For Clinical Psychology program there will be 1 Program Representative.
For Educational Leadership programs there will be 1 Program Representative.
For Environment Public Health Practice program there will be 1 Program Representative.
For Information Technology program there will be 1 Program Representative.
For Information Systems Assurance Management programs there will be 1 Program Representative.
For Information Systems Security Management programs there will be 2 Program Representatives.

c) Nomination Form: If you choose to run in the election, then you must complete the attached nomination form and return it to the ERO between February 12 (12:30 pm) and February 26 (4:30 pm), 2024.

Nomination forms for GSA Executivemust be signed by the nominator (who must be a CUE graduate student who is considered to be an active member of the GSA) and by five other CUE graduate students (who are considered to be active members of the GSA).

Nomination forms for Graduate Program Representative candidates need to get signatures of two CUE graduate students instead of five. Students must also submit documentation to confirm that an individual is eligible to be nominated as a candidate in the election.

No CUE graduate student may nominate more than one person for each position on the GSA executive
A CUE graduate student shall be ineligibleas a candidate if he/she: i) is not an active member of the GSA; or ii) has served two (2) terms, as a voting member on the GSA Executive.
Any active member of the GSA in good academic standing (a GPA of 3,0 and above) is eligible to run for GSA executive positions if they are able to prove that they can serve the said position for at least three semesters starting from the spring when the electionoccurs and continuing until the end of the winter term in the subsequent year. No GPA requirement is required for the Program Representatives.
All executive board member candidates should submit on their own accord documentation proving the requirement stated in the preceding section.
All candidates should possess the above GPA eligibility requirements at the time they are running for the said position.
All candidates must also complete the GSA bylaws quizzes on Moodleand attain a 60% or higher on all quizzes by the time they assume office on May 1.
The nomination form is required to be completed and provided back to the ERO no later than Monday, February 26th by 4:30 PM. The ERO will be in school during the week and available to receive your completed form; alternatively, the completed form can be e-mailed back to the ERO by or before the above date.
Following the close of nominations at 4:30 pm on Monday, February 26^th2024, all nomination forms will be officially reviewed by the ERO and DRO, and then eligible candidates whose paperwork is in order will be declared official candidates and will be notified in writing by the ERO by 4:30 pm on Tuesday, February 27^th, 2024. Any Candidate whose paperwork was ruled out of order by the ERO will be considered ineligible and will be notified in writing by the ERO. If any candidates are deemed otherwise ineligible at the sole discretion of the ERO, they will be notified in writing by the ERO. Any candidates determined ineligible will be provided with a written explanation provided by the ERO within twenty-four (24) hours of the close of the nomination period.
·After the ERO has verified all of the nomination forms and the ERO has notified all eligible candidates, the names of candidates will be listed on the GSA website.
All electedGSA candidates will be subject to an official Employment Background Check, which will be reimbursed by the GSA council. For further information, please visit http://www.edmontonpolice.ca/CommunityPolicing/OperationalServices/PoliceInformationCheck.

III. THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN

4) The official GSA election campaign will begin at 12:00pm on Wednesday, February 28th 2024 and will end at 4:30pm on Monday, March 11th, 2024.

No candidate shall run or be a member in a slate (a group of candidates or a party), real or apparent as determined by the ERO in their sole discretion, or share expenses for campaign materials, work together for mutual benefit, use similar or identical slogans or otherwise appear to be acting as a slate. Failure to abide by this rule constitutes a serious campaign violation and may result in disqualification of all candidates who have been identified as running in a slate.
A candidate shall be considered ineligible for a position on the GSA executive if the prospective candidate is immediately related to, in a spousal, or otherwise interdependent relationship with a candidate for the aforesaid positions during the same term of office.
The GSA places a high priority on open lines of communication between candidates and electors; therefore candidates are required to attend the All-Candidates Forum which shall take place on Wednesday, March 6^th2024, from 5-6 PM in room TBD. The ERO will notify all candidates in writing to the email address provided on the nomination form of when this forum will occur. If this requirement is not followed, then the ERO reserves the right to disqualify the candidate. The ERO will provide all candidates with rules that will apply to the all-candidates forum. Please note: ALL CANDIDATES MUST ATTEND THE ALL-CANDIDATES FORUM OR REQUEST ACCOMMODATION WITH THE ERO.
No candidate shall make a speech to any class at CUE without the prior agreement of the ERO and the professor or instructor responsible for that class.
Candidates are to submit the content of their presentations / speeches to the ERO in advance for approval by the ERO.
During officially organized events, which include all opportunities to officially address the student body either formally or informally, candidates must behave in a professional manner.
Should the candidate not act professionally, as determined by the ERO in their sole discretion acting reasonably, they may by disqualified from the electoral process.
Candidates, or any person(s) acting on the behalf of the candidate, may not assist voters in the electoral process.
·Before any elected candidate is permitted to assume a GSA Executive office after the election, he or she must submit a current and clear police check to the Electoral Officer for review and approval.

5) Campaign Materials

All candidates must have their campaign and communication materials, which include but are not limited to posters, banners, handbills, online materials, and electronic communication etc., approved by the ERO or designate prior to distribution to the electorate. All campaign and communication materials must be provided to the ERO at least twenty-four (24) hoursin advance of distribution.
A copy of the material and/or communication message must be emailed to the ERO identifying when, where, and how the material/communication will be disseminated. Further, candidates must receive permission from the ERO in relation to any materials and/or communication as to the content of the communique prior to dissemination.
The material may only be disseminated after reception of a confirmation communication from the ERO.
All candidates are strongly encouraged to create a candidate platform which will be posted on the GSA website after the nomination period. This platform should be sent to the ERO no later than Monday, 2 March 2024 by 12:00 Noon.
Candidates may submit a video which states their name and the position sought. The video or video URL link must be submitted to the ERO and must be approved by the ERO prior to dissemination of its content and URL link.
No campaign materials may contain misinformation, slander, inappropriate endorsements, and inappropriate or discriminatory content. Should the ERO determine in their sole discretion acting reasonably that a candidate has contravened this clause, the candidate may be disqualified.
During the designated campaign period, candidates shall not distribute any item to electors, except for approved campaign materials.
All campaign materials shall include on the front, in legible form, the name of the candidate and the position being sought.
All campaign materials shall where applicable, include on the front, in legible form, a statement declaring who paid for the production of the campaign material.
Campaign material shall only be approved if it contains statements about a candidate’s own campaign and platform.
A candidate shall not make reference to the identity of another candidate on any campaign materials.
A candidate shall not misrepresent themselves as to name or physical appearance on campaign materials.
Candidates shall not use the logos of the “Concordia Graduate Students’ Association” or “GSA,” or “Concordia University of Edmonton” or “CUE” on any campaign material.
A candidate may have no morethan two (2) banners.
All candidates shall: a) comply with all CUE building regulations; b) follow CUE regulations on posters and use of CUE grounds; and c) not use stickers, decals, or any adhesive material of a permanent or semi-permanent nature.
Only the candidates may post election-related or campaign material as approved in advance by the ERO.
Candidates may not campaign or post any campaign materials in any campus library.
No candidate shall accept in-kind donations of advertising space in any publication, advertisement space or media venue.
All candidates are solely responsible for the removal of all their campaign materials from campus by the end of the campaign period.

6) Election Voting Period

Voting shall take place over three days starting from 8:00 am on Tuesday, March 12^th2024 and shall continue until Thursday, March 14^th, 2024. The voting will be done through electronic means hosted by CUE’s IT Department.
All CUE graduate students who are considered to be active members of the GSA may cast one vote for each position during the election.
Polling stations, if required, must be manned by non-partisan volunteers as coordinated by the ERO (minimum of two [2] per station).

7) Announcing the Results

After the end of the voting period, the ballots shall be counted by the ERO and witnessed by a neutral third party.
A first-past-the-post vote shall constitute the electionof an officer in the case of all Executive offices. If no candidate is declared a winner, then the position will be declared vacant, and the vote will go to a by-election as outlined in the GSA Bylaws.
The ERO shall announce the initial results within 24 hours of the end of the voting period.
The results initially announced will be provisional until all outstanding issues are resolved, with regard to any outstanding violations of policy by candidates, or other issues that may arise. Once these issues have been addressed, the ERO shall then officially certify the results.
The ERO may take up to two weeks to certify the results of the electionshould an appeal take place.

8) Complaints, Infractions and Penalties

Because electronic campaign materials can be of a variety of forms, and therefore practically difficult to approve before their release, they will be policed using a complaint-activated process. Any active member who believes that any such materials violate GSA bylaws, this policy, university policy or any other electionprocedure should contact the ERO. After adjudication, the ERO reserves the right to either warn a candidate, disqualify the candidate, or ultimately refuse to certify the election if such action is deemed appropriate by the ERO.
The following violations regarding campaign materials will result in the candidate being disciplined up to and including disqualification, and the Warning Procedures herein will come into effect:
Campaign materials on a painted wall or surface;
Campaign materials displayed in an unauthorized area;
Campaign materials posted before the campaign period begins;
Disobeying university, municipal, provincial, and/or federal law/regulation while campaigning;
Campaign materials containing misinformation, negative campaigning, slander, inappropriate endorsements, or discriminatory content;
Campaign materials submitted by any outside organization or individual that is not an Association Active Member; or
Candidates themselves enforcing bylaws or policy or otherwise being seen to “police” other candidates;
Any electionviolation including but not limited to policies outlined in this document will result in the candidate being disciplined up to and including disqualification, and the Warning Procedures herein will come into effect.
The ERO reserves the right to act in a manner reflective of the severity of the infraction according to the ERO’s interpretation of said infraction up to and including disqualifying the candidate(s). Should the infraction(s) be severe enough in the opinion of the ERO, the ERO may refuse to certify the election.

9) Warning Procedures

Any candidate who violates any provision herein that results in an official warning or disqualification will be notified in writing by the e-mail provided on the nomination form by the ERO of their violation. All warnings, sanctions, and disqualifications will be posted on the GSA website and in the GSA office.
Any candidate receiving an official sanction not including disqualification as a result of a policy violation will have twenty-four (24) hours to fix the violation; otherwise the candidate will be disqualified from the election.
Any violation of campaign material expense limits may result in immediate disqualification from the electionwithout a previous warning.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Date	Time	Event
Friday, February 9^th		Official Announcement of GSA Election.
Monday, February 12^th	8:00 AM	Nominations open for GSA Election.
Monday, February 26^th	4:30 PM	Nominations close for GSA Election.
Tuesday, February 27^th	4:30 – 5:30 PM	Nominees for GSA Election are notified.
Wednesday, February 28t^th	12:00 PM	Campaigns for GSA Election begin.
Friday, March 1^st	12:00 PM	Nominee platforms for GSA Election sent to ERO.
Wednesday, March 6^th	5 – 6 PM	GSA Election: Election forum at GRC.
Monday, March 11^th	4:30 PM	Campaigns end for GSA Election.
Tuesday, March 12^th	All day	Voting Day for GSA Election.
Wednesday, March 13^th	All day	Voting Day for GSA Election.
Thursday, March 14^th	12:00 PM

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EVENTS