► Amendment to ULU Election Regulations

00/01 Policy

Valid AULUC 2006

AMENDMENT TO ULU ELECTION REGULATIONS

Proposed by: Brian Hogan, University College London Union

Seconded by: Dan Ozarow, University College London Union

THIS UNION NOTES

1.          ULU will be electing full-time executive officers for the academic session 2001-02 by a

         cross campus ballot.

2.          The 1994 higher education act of 1994, Chapter 30, Part II states that the governing body of every students union shall:

a)                    ensure that it’s Union runs in a fair and democratic manner;

b)                    ensure that appointment to major union offices should be by election in a secret ballot in which all members are entitled to vote;

c)                    satisfy themselves that the elections are fairly and properly conducted.

3.          New regulations governing elections were passed by the 4^th ULU Council this year, without all the proposed amendments being debated.

 

THIS UNION BELIEVES

1.       The Regulations passed at the 4^th ULU Council mean that the elections will not be conducted in a fair and democratic manner and specifically that:

a)                    the ‘electoral council’ selecting a preferred candidate skews the result away from a democratic result;

b)                    not providing for Re-open Nominations in the cross campus ballot does not allow the members of ULU to express an objection in the candidates;

c)                    the provision of only one day of voting does not allow adequate opportunity for all members of the Union to cast their vote;

d)                    ULU Council should not have as much power in electing the officers, there is nothing more representative than the students themselves;

e)                    nominations should be representative of the students who these officers would represent but there is no need to ensure that they should come from ULU Council.  It is not right that this years officers should choose their successors.

2.       ULU should be mandated by it’s regulations to publicise the elections in member unions;

Candidates should have the opportunity to publicise their experience, beliefs and justification for election, so long as this is fair to all candidates.

3.       The London Student Editor, though a non-executive full-time officer, is a major union office and therefore election to this position should be governed by the regulations governing the election of full-time executive officers.

4.       That some other sections of the election regulations, such as parts of B:1:B are unclear as to their intention.

THIS UNION RESOLVES

1.       To replace, in regulation B:1:B “Where a conflict exists, this section shall take precedence over the other sections” with “Where a conflict exists, section B:7 shall take precedence over the other sections”To delete, from regulation B:2:B, ‘with the exception of the cross campus ballot for Executive Full Time officers’To delete, from regulation B:2:C ‘With the exception of Executive Full Time officers’

2.       To replace, to regulation B:7:C, the phrase ‘one full day of polling on a date’ with ‘at least 3 days of polling on dates’.

3.       To delete, from regulation B:7:D, ‘Five must be members of ULU Council.  The remaining twenty must represent a minimum of five colleges.’

4.          To delete regulation B:7:F.

5.          To add as new regulation B:7:I ‘Candidates must submit, by the close of nominations, an A4 sized poster which will be distributed to all member Unions within 48 hours of close of nominations.  Each member Union must, where possible, display a poster for each candidate in a prominent place.  Where no possibility for displaying a poster exists no posters may be displayed’,

6.          To add, as a new regulation, B:7:J ‘ULU must provide adequate posters and flyers, for distribution in member unions, to publicise the cross campus ballot.

7.          To re-number regulation B:7:I as B:7:K and so on accordingly.

8.          To insert as regulation B:7:M: ‘In the event of Re-Open Nominations winning a full-time executive position, a by-election shall be held under the provisions of regulation B:7:J’

9.          To insert as regulation B:1:E: “The London Student Editor, although a non-executive officer, shall be elected under the same regulations as apply to the election of full time executive officers”.

PASSED: 19^th February 2001