Rules as set by the Returning Officer
A. General Rules
1. All rules listed here are in addition to the rules set out in the Union Bye-Laws Section F. Minor Elections.
2. The rules of the elections will be interpreted and enforced by the Returning Officer (RO) and Deputy Returning Officers (DROs).
3. Rulings made by the RO or DROs will be communicated to all candidates and as such become rules for that election. It is up to candidates to ensure that they are aware of the latest rules and rulings which will be available at imperialcollegeunion.org/elections/rules. The latest and correct version of the rules will always be in the downloadable Candidates’ Pack available from imperialcollegeunion.org/elections.
4. Candidates are responsible for all those acting in support of them, on behalf of them, as part of their campaign team or distributing their campaign material where the candidate may be deemed by the RO or DROs to have been in a position to control that individual’s actions.
5. Any activity that is illegal, breaches College rules, policies and codes or Union bye-laws, regulations, policies or constitution is deemed to be in breach of the election rules.
6. The College is still a place of work for students and staff alike during the election period as it is the rest of the year. This must be respected during your campaigning.
7. If a candidate is in any doubt as to any campaigning activity that they intend to undertake, they are advised to speak to the RO or DROs before undertaking the activity in order to obtain a formal ruling.
8. General feedback on the Election process can be made using the online form at imperialcollegeunion.org/elections/feedback.
8.1 Feedback on the Election process will be considered by the Board of Trustees’ Governance Committee as part of an annual review of the Union’s electoral processes after the end of the election.
B. The Returning Officer
1. The Returning Officer’s duties are set out in the Union Bye-laws Section F. 3-4.
2. Any complaint about the conduct, not the decisions, of the RO’s can be made to Board of Trustees’ Governance Sub-Committee through the Union’s complaints procedure as detailed in the Union Bye-Laws Section F.
2.1 Whether or not complaints about the RO will be heard by the Governance Committee will be decided by its Chair.
2.2 Complaints about the conduct of the RO more than made two (2) hours after the close of the voting period will not normally be heard unless the complaint contains new evidence obtained since that deadline.
C. Nominations
1. Nominations will be open from 00:00 Tuesday 23 May and close 23:59 Monday 29 May.
2. Nominations are available online at imperialcollegeunion.org/vote .
3. Nominations require one seconder.
D. Expenditure
1. Candidates in all elections have a maximum amount they can spend on their campaigns once the nomination has been confirmed. Candidates are asked to produce receipts of their expenditure by the relevant deadline. Any expenditure must be both that which all candidates have had the opportunity to carry out, and must be replicable by all other candidates in a given election. Campaign expenditure is defined as expenditure in pursuit of promoting a candidature as further determined by the Returning Officer. Where there is a question as to the extent to which it is reasonable to believe that the use of a tactic or resource is open to all, the Returning Officer’s decision is final and so advice should be sought first.
E. Campaigning
1. No candidates’ publicity may appear before the close of nominations.
2. All campaign material must be covered by a suitable receipt.
3. All campaign material for all other part-time positions must cost no more than £50 of which the Union will not refund and must be covered by the canididate.
4. All campaign material must comply with the Union’s Publicity Policy at imperialcollegeunion.org/your-union/policies/17 .
5. All posters, flyers and websites must include the pre-designed The Leadership Elections banner available at imperialcollegeunion.org/elections/materials . Other use of the Union or College logo on campaign material is prohibited.
6. Receipts for monies spent on all campaign material must be submitted in person to the DROs or by email to elections@imperial.ac.uk before 17:00 Thursday 1 June.
7. Candidates’ manifestos and photos must be submitted online at imperialcollegeunion.org/vote by 11:59 Tuesday 30 May. Manifestos may be no more than 250 words long. Any words over 250 will be removed before the manifestos are published.
Physical
8. Candidates and their campaign team may not harass, coerce or use intimidation to persuade someone to vote or who to vote for.
9. Candidates must not obscure, tamper with or remove the publicity of any other candidates.
10. Permission must be sought when posters are placed on non-designated poster boards as set out in the Union’s Publicity Policy ( imperialcollegeunion.org/your-union/policies/17 ).
11. You are not allowed to use adhesive stickers as campaign materials.
Online
12. Candidates may use social networks or their own website to promote their campaign.
13. All candidate websites and social network pages must contain a link to the elections website imperialcollegeunion.org/elections.
14. Candidates are allowed to use Facebook groups, mailing lists and other forms of group communication as long as they have collected the information for those individuals during the campaign period (close of nominations to the close of voting) and the group was formed for the sole purpose of campaigning in this election.
15. All Facebook groups must invite Imperial College Union Returning Officer ( www.facebook.com/icureturningofficer ) to the group before it is used for campaigning purposes.
16. All Twitter accounts used for campaigning must follow @icunion.
17. All campaigning done through Facebook and Twitter must contain the hashtag ‘#voteicu’.
F. Complaints
1. Any complaint must be submitted using the online Elections Complaint Form available at imperialcollegeunion.org/elections/complaint.
2. Only completed Elections Complaint Forms will be considered by the RO or DROs.
3. Complaints should be submitted within 24 hours of the incident in question or at the earliest possible moment.
4. Complaints cannot be anonymous and the ruling by the RO or DROs regarding any complaint may be communicated to all candidates within the election.
5. Complaints involving severe breaches of the rules will be dealt with by the RO. The RO may choose to allow the DROs to rule on all other complaints.
6. The RO will define to the DROs their interpretation of severe and non-severe breaches of the rules.
7. The RO or DROs may make a ruling including, but not limited to, the following sanctions. Depending on the severity of the breach, any or all of these steps may be by-passed when making a ruling.
7.1 Issuing a formal warning
7.2 Reduction in campaign budget or amount the Union will refund
7.3 Temporary banning of campaigning
7.4 Recommendation to the Board of Trustees’ Governance Sub-Committee for removal from the election
8. All complaints must be received within two (2) hours of the close of the voting period.
9. The RO’s decision on all complaints is final.
G. The Count
1. Results of the election shall be announced once the count has been made within one (1) College day and the results published.
Minor Election Rules
Application
1. These Bye-Laws shall apply for all elections not covered by the Major Elections Bye-Laws.
The Returning Officer (RO)
2. The body holding an election will appoint an appropriately qualified person to act as the Returning Officer, who must be a Member of the Union.
3. The Returning Officer shall:
3.1. Be the initial interpreter of the Minor Elections Bye-Laws and any election regulations
3.2. Be responsible to the President, who shall be the final interpreter should dispute occur.
3.3. Oversee the count and declare the results of the elections.
3.4. Set rules, regulations and guidelines other than these Bye-Laws to govern the conduct of the election.
3.5. Seek legal advice if he/she believes that statements made or the contents of publicity could leave the Union open to legal action.
3.6. Rule out of order any statement or the content of any publicity which in the RO’s view is in breach of the constitution, the law or any other appropriate rules and guidelines.
3.7. Be empowered to issue warnings to candidates
3.8. Be empowered to ask the President to remove candidates from the election at any point in accordance with these election Bye-Laws and any rules and regulations issued in accordance with the above.
3.9. Be empowered to order recounts, or declare election processes null and void.
Complaints
4. The President is the ultimate official competent to deal with complaints regarding the conduct of candidates, their supporters and campaigns, and the administration of elections.
5. Complaints regarding the conduct of the Returning Officer shall be referred to the President. The onus is on the complainant to set out such complaints in writing for the President’s consideration.
The Process of Elections
6. The Returning Officer shall produce an election timetable, which shall outline:
6.1. The process for nomination
6.2. Details for the submission of manifestos
6.3. Arrangements for the ballot
7. The Returning Officer shall produce details of the arrangements for balloting and for complaints procedures, and ensure that they are publicised to all Members of the Union who are eligible to vote in the election being held no less than five (5) clear College days in advance of the nominations period opening.
8. The election will be conducted in accordance with the rules outlined by the Electoral Reform Society for running elections by the Single Transferable Vote system for elections with more than one position available, and the Alternative Vote system for elections with one position available.
9. The Returning Officer shall ensure that any additional details, or amendments to the arrangements, are publicised to all students in a timely fashion.
10. No candidate may challenge the result of the election once the count has been held.
Nominations
11. Nomination forms will be available to all Members eligible to stand for election, in accordance with the body’s constitution or standing orders.
12. It shall be the responsibility of nominees to ensure that nomination forms are completed accurately and submitted before the deadline.
13. The Returning Officer shall have the sole responsibility for declaring a submitted nomination form valid.
Manifestos
14. Manifestos must be submitted by the date laid down in the election timetable and must comply with any format requirements stipulated by the Returning Officer.
Campaign Publicity
15. No allowance will be made available to candidates for publicity.
16. The Returning Officer must stipulate an amount that candidates may also spend on their own election campaigns.
17. All candidates shall have an equal publicity allowance.
18. The Returning Officer shall draw up regulations for the conduct of candidates’ campaigns. Any breach of these regulations could lead to disqualification from the election.
Withdrawal
19. Any candidate may withdraw from the election at any point by informing the Returning Officer.
20. If a candidate withdraws during the ballot, or after a point at which the ballots cannot be amended, the Returning Officer will ensure that the voters’ next preferences are counted in accordance with the principles of the Electoral Reform Society.
Voting
21. The Returning Officer will ensure that all eligible members of the Union can vote.
22. The Returning Officer shall decide the method of voting and publicise it appropriately.
23. There will be a facility for voting for “Re-Open Nominations”.
24. Voting shall be by secret ballot, unless unanimously agreed otherwise.
Declaration
25. Results of the election shall be declared by the Returning Officer when the count for each post has been successfully completed.
By-Elections and Co-Options
26. By-Elections shall be held at an Extraordinary General Meeting and in accordance with these Bye-Laws as though they were ordinary Minor Elections.