Special Resolution 9: Election Procedures

Pursuant to the provisions for membership on the Board of Governors as set out in the University of Western Ontario Act (1982) and By-Law No. 1, the following shall be the procedures for election or appointment to the Board.

General

The following procedures related to the election of members to the Board by the Faculty-at-large, the administrative staff, and the undergraduate and graduate student constituencies.

  1. The Secretary of the Board of Governors shall be the Chief Returning Officer.

  2. The schedule for calling of nominations, publication of candidates' names, and timelines for balloting shall be as published from time to time by the Secretary of the Board.

  3. Candidates for election must be nominated by means of an official nomination form available from the Secretary of the Board and accessible on an election website [http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/election].

  4. Nomination forms must be signed by ten (10) persons eligible to vote in the constituency concerned. A nominator may not nominate more candidates than there are seats to be filled in the constituency.

  5. The nomination forms shall convey information on eligibility for and restrictions upon election to the Board, as provided in the University Act.

  6. Nominees must declare on the nomination form:

    (a) that they are willing to stand as candidates for election and to serve if elected;
    (b) that they meet the eligibility requirements for the constituency;
    (c) that they are Canadian citizens at the time of nomination and that they will submit proof of such to the Secretary of the Board should they be elected.

  7. Nominees may submit with the nomination form a biographical statement or other comments up to a limit of 75 words for publication purposes. The statement, if submitted, and a digital photograph of the candidate (if he or she agrees to having it taken by the University Secretariat) will be posted on the election website.

  8. Errors or irregularities on a nomination form constitute grounds for rejection of the nomination by the Secretary of the Board.

  9. When only sufficient nominations to fill the vacancies for any constituency are received, the Secretary of the Board shall declare the person(s) elected by acclamation, except when more than one seat is to be filled and a vote is required to determine the candidate who shall serve the longer term. Where no candidates are nominated, the seat shall remain vacant until the next election.

  10. Except where election is by acclamation, election shall be by secret ballot by those eligible to vote in the constituency concerned.

  11. The candidate receiving the largest number of votes shall be elected. Should there be more than one seat to be filled in a constituency in any given election, the candidate with the plurality of votes shall be elected to the longer membership term and the candidate with the next highest number of votes shall be elected for the shorter membership term.

  12. In cases where two or more candidates receive the same number of votes, the tie shall be broken by a lottery conducted by the Secretary of the Board in the presence of the tied candidates or their agents.

  13. An election shall not be invalidated by any irregularity which does not affect the outcome of such an election. Notification of any irregularity must be received by the Secretary of the Board within five days of the closing of the polls.

  14. The results of the election shall be announced as soon as possible after the closing of balloting. The number of votes received by each candidate will be made public.

  15. A list of voting results, validated by the Secretary of the Board, shall be retained for a period of at least two years.

Faculty-at-Large Constituency (2 members)

  1. To be eligible for election, a candidate must be a full-time member of the Faculty of the University, or a Clinical Academic appointed under Conditions of Appointment: Physicians Appointed in Clinical Departments and Clinical Divisions of Basic Science Departments (1999), at the rank of Assistant Professor or higher who has held academic appointments at the University for at least four academic years.

  2. The following members of Faculty are eligible to vote:

    (a) all full-time members of the academic staff of the University at the rank of Lecturer, Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor; and

    (b) all Clinical Academics appointed under Conditions of Appointment: Physicians Appointed in Clinical Departments and Clinical Divisions of Basic Science Departments (1999) at the rank of Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor, and

    (c) all part-time members of the academic staff of the University at the rank of Assistant Professor or higher

    who are listed as such in the Records section of the Division of Human Resources.

  3. Procedure:

    The Secretary of the Board shall, within the first three weeks of September in those years when a vacancy will occur in the Faculty-at-Large constituency, call for nominations of candidates to represent the Faculty.

    Completed nomination forms must be submitted to the Secretary of the Board not less than seven but not more than fourteen consecutive days from the official date of call for nominations. The Secretary of the Board shall then publish an official list of the valid nominations in Western News as soon as possible thereafter. The official list shall be by name alphabetically, showing the rank and academic unit of each nominee. The nominee may submit a biographical statement or other comment up to a limit of 75 words. The Secretary shall have discretion in restricting the published statement to 75 words should that submitted be in excess of this limit. This statement (if submitted) and a digital photograph of the candidate (if he or she agrees to having it taken by the University Secretariat) will be posted on the Election Website.

    The Secretary of the Board shall, as soon as possible and not later than seven days after the publication of the list of nominees, distribute ballots to all eligible voters, showing only the full names of the candidates in alphabetical order, with official envelopes for their return. The mailing will include a sheet showing the official list of candidates and their statements. Completed ballots must be received by the Secretary of the Board not later than 4:00 p.m. the seventeenth day after the official date of distribution of the ballots.

    The Secretary of the Board together with the two scrutineers shall be responsible for validating all ballots, for the counting of the poll and for publishing the name(s) of the successful candidate(s) in an official notice of the Board to be posted at the Office of the Secretary of the Board of Governors and offered for publication, within forty-eight hours of the closing of the poll.

    A recount requested by any candidate will be conducted if, in the opinion of the Secretary of the Board and the Chair of the Board, there are sufficient grounds. The request for a recount together with a statement of grounds for the request must be received by the Secretary of the Board by 4:00 p.m. of the second working day after the closing of the polls.

    All ballots received, and all return envelopes, will be retained by the Secretary of the Board for a period of sixty days following publication of the election results, and then destroyed if no appeal is pending.

  4. Note: No member of the Board of Governors whose salary is paid under a collective agreement or Memorandum of Agreement between the University and a union or employee association may serve as a member of any team negotiating matters related to the remuneration or benefits, terms of employment, rights or privileges available to employees in a class or group of employees of the University.

Administrative Staff Constituency (2 members)

  1. To be eligible for election, a candidate must be a member of the full-time administrative staff of the University and be listed as such in the Records Section of the Division of Human Resources. A member of the full-time administrative staff of the University who is a member of Faculty is not eligible for election or to vote in the administrative staff constituency.

  2. All members of the full-time administrative staff of the University, except those who are members of Faculty, are eligible to vote in the administrative staff constituency.

  3. Procedure:

    The Secretary of the Board shall, within the first three weeks of September in those years when a vacancy will occur in the administrative staff constituency, call for nominations of candidates to represent the administrative staff.

    Completed nomination forms must be submitted to the Secretary of the Board not less than seven but not more than fourteen consecutive days from the official date of call for nominations. The Secretary of the Board shall then publish an official list of the valid nominations in Western News as soon as possible thereafter. The official list shall be by name alphabetically, showing the title and administrative unit of each nominee. The nominee may submit a biographical statement or other comment up to a limit of 75 words. The Secretary shall have discretion in restricting the published statement to 75 words should that submitted be in excess of this limit. This statement (if submitted) and a digital photograph of the candidate (if he or she agrees to having it taken by the University Secretariat) will be posted on the Election Website and linked to the ballot.

    Balloting will be conducted during a designated period at an election site linked to Western's Homepage on the Internet: http://www.uwo.ca .

    The Secretary of the Board shall for publish the name(s) of the successful candidate(s) in an official notice of the Board to be posted at the Office of the Secretary of the Board of Governors and offered for publication, within forty-eight hours of the closing of the poll.

  4. Note: No member of the Board of Governors whose salary is paid under a collective agreement or Memorandum of Agreement between the University and a union or employee association may serve as a member of any team negotiating matters related to the remuneration or benefits, terms of employment, rights or privileges available to employees in a class or group of employees of the University.

Undergraduate Student Constituency (2 members)

  1. To be eligible for election, a candidate must be an undergraduate student in the Constituent University who has completed one academic year as a full-time student or the equivalent as a part-time student, as may be verified by the official student records of the University. Full-time and part-time undergraduate students of the Constituent University who are full-time members of the administrative staff or members of Faculty are not eligible for candidacy in the undergraduate student constituency.

  2. The Secretary of the Board may employ the USC Election Committee to supervise campaigning by candidates, but any decision that a candidate be disqualified may be appealed to the Secretary of the Board by 4:00 p.m. of the second working day following the date of the letter notifying the candidate of the Election Committee's decision that the candidate be disqualified. Where there is inconsistency between the policies and procedures stated in USC By-Law 2 and those of the Board, the policies and procedures of the Board shall take precedence and the final authority for resolving all disputes in such matters shall rest with the Secretary of the Board.

  3. Procedure:

    Each year when a vacancy shall occur in the undergraduate student constituency, the Secretary of the Board shall, during the second week of classes, call for nominations for candidates to represent the undergraduate student constituency.

    Completed nomination forms must be submitted to the Secretary of the Board not less than seven but not more than fourteen consecutive days from the official date of call for nominations. A Mandatory All Candidates Meeting will be scheduled for student candidates during the week following the close of nominations. Student nominees who do not attend or have not made arrangements to send an alternate will be automatically disqualified from candidacy. The Secretary of the Board shall then publish an official list of the valid nominations in Western News as soon as possible thereafter. The official list shall be by name alphabetically, showing for each nominee the academic program and year of registration as recorded in the official student records of the University. The nominee may submit a biographical statement or other comment up to a limit of 75 words. The Secretary shall have discretion in restricting the published statement to 75 words should that submitted be in excess of this limit. This statement (if submitted) and a digital photograph of the candidate (if he or she agrees to having it taken by the University Secretariat) will be posted on the Election Website and linked to the ballot.

    Balloting will be conducted during a designated period at an election site linked to Western's Homepage on the Internet: http://www.uwo.ca

    The Secretary of the Board shall publish the name(s) of the successful candidate(s) in an official notice of the Board to be posted at the Office of the Secretary of the Board of Governors and offered for publication, within forty-eight hours of the closing of the poll.

Graduate Students (1 member)

  1. To be eligible for election, a candidate must be a graduate student in the University as may be verified by the official student records of the University. Full-time and part-time graduate students of the University who are full-time members of the administrative staff or members of Faculty are not eligible for candidacy in the graduate student constituency.

  2. The Secretary of the Board may employ the USC Election Committee to supervise campaigning, but the final authority for resolving all disputes shall rest with the Secretary of the Board.

  3. Procedure:

    The procedures for election of a graduate student to the Board shall be the same as for those for undergraduate students, mutatis mutandis.

  4. Note: No member of the Board of Governors whose salary is paid under a collective agreement or Memorandum of Agreement between the University and a union or employee association may serve as a member of any team negotiating matters related to the remuneration or benefits, terms of employment, rights or privileges available to employees in a class or group of employees of the University.

Faculty Elected by Senate (2 members)

  1. To be eligible for election by the Senate, the candidate must be a member of Faculty and a member of the Senate at the time elected.

  2. The election of members to the Board by the Senate shall be the responsibility of the Senate and by such procedure as the Senate shall determine.

  3. Note: No member of the Board of Governors whose salary is paid under a collective agreement or Memorandum of Agreement between the University and a union or employee association may serve as a member of any team negotiating matters related to the remuneration or benefits, terms of employment, rights or privileges available to employees in a class or group of employees of the University.

Members Elected by the Alumni Association (4 members)

The election of members to the Board by the Alumni Association shall be the responsibility of the Association except that the cost of such elections may be borne by the Board, subject to the approval of the Board.

Members Elected by the Board (4 members, Vice-Presidents)

  1. The election of members by the Board under Section 9.(1) of the Act, clauses (h) [4 members] shall be by a majority of those members of the Board entitled to vote in such election present at the meeting at which the election takes place, provided that a quorum of fourteen such eligible members are present.

  2. The Senior Operations Committee shall be responsible for the identification of candidates as vacancies occur and shall make nominations to the Board.

  3. Voting shall be by show of hands or by ballot as may be determined by the Board.

FILLING OF VACANCIES - Elected and Appointed Members

  1. When a vacancy occurs prior to the expiration of the membership term of a member elected by the Faculty-at-large, the administrative staff, or students, action in respect to the filling of the vacancy shall be as follows:

    (a) If the time remaining in the term of office is six months or less, the seat shall remain vacant until the next regular election.

    (b) If the time remaining in the term of office is more than six months but less than two years, the vacancy shall be filled from among the eligible candidates of the constituency concerned who were unsuccessful in the last election, in a priority determined by their plurality in that election, and provided that to be thus eligible a candidate must have polled at least 20% of the votes cast in that election, or failing such, by a by-election.

    (c) If the time remaining in the term of office is more than two years, the vacancy shall be filled by a by-election.

    The conduct of a by-election shall be the same as that of a regular election.

  2. When a vacancy occurs prior to the expiration of the membership term of a member elected or appointed by the Council of the City of London, the Lieutenant Governor in Council, the Alumni Association, the Senate, or the Board, the body responsible for electing or appointing such member shall be requested to appoint a person to fill the vacancy for the time remaining in the membership term except that if the time remaining in the term of office is six months or less, the Board may declare by resolution that the seat remain vacant until the next regular appointment period.

Revised 2000.09.28