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SLA Elections Policy P a g e | 1

Student Law Association (SLA) – Elections PolicyARTICLE I – PURPOSEThe purpose of this Elections Policy is to act as a supplementary guide to the Student Law Association Constitution. This Elections Policy applies to the following Articles from the Constitution:

Article III – Executive Officers Article IV - Duties of Executive Officers Article V – Junior Executive Officers

ARTICLE II – ENACTING DOCUMENTAs per Article IX – Acceptance of Constitution and Bylaws within the SLA Constitution, the By-laws created by the Student Law Association Executive shall be inherently accepted and the Executive shall adhere to all the terms included with subsequent by-laws created by the Club.

If a conflict between the SLA Constitution and the By-law exists, the Constitutional phrasing shall triumph, under normative interpretation.

ARTICLE III – CHIEF ELECTIONS MANAGERSection I. Duties of CEMThe Chief Elections Manager (CEM) shall be responsible for the elections in their entirety. This position is active during the election period or if a bi-election is required. This individual shall be responsible for collecting Executive and Junior Executive Officer submissions, ensuring these submissions comply with SLA guidelines set out in the policy manual, and be responsible for distribution and categorizing of information relating to the SLA Elections. This position shall also be responsible for collecting and tabulating votes for the candidates during the election period or bi-election.

Section II. Selection of CEMThis position shall not be held a Senior or Junior Executive Officer of the given Election year. In order to eliminate bias and ensure objectivity, the CEM must not be running for or currently be an Executive member.

The individual shall not be elected for this position. If the CEM makes it known that they wish to renounce their position (prior to or after the Election period) the SLA Executive Officers are responsible for replacing the CEM with another individual.


This individual must not have any identifiable connection to any of the running candidates. If discovered that the CEM is biased in some way, the Executive (with assistance of the AAG) shall create an alternative solution to ensure that objectivity and neutrality remain during election period.

The Executive may choose any student that they deem is suitable for the position; however, the decision must be unanimous among the Senior Executive Officers. There will never be submission required for consideration to be selected for this position. Selections by the SLA Executive shall be completed in a one-to-one basis whereby, if they desire a list is created of individuals they believe (and agreed upon) to select for the position. Upon communicating with the individual, their decision to hold the position or not is final. The decision shall not be reversed and shall remain effective until the end of the academic term.

Section III. Objectivity and ConfidentialityThe CEM will be provided an official list of all current members of the SLA. Through the communication (outlined in Article VII) the CEM will contact students to inform them of voting for candidates and responding to member concerns.

The CEM shall not discuss any information pertaining to the candidates, selection, or votes prior to, during, and after election period. This information shall be held confidential and shall not be revealed to anyone unless it corresponds to any section within this policy.

If the CEM is discovered to have broken this objectivity and confidentiality, they shall be removed from the position immediately and the account used for information collection and all election related materials shall be provided solely to the President of the SLA, until a course of action is taken to ensure continuity of elections and objectivity of compromised elections.

Section IV. Recognition of CEMAt the draft of the Elections Policy, there is currently no specific recognition for the CEM on the Student Association Co-Curricular Recognition Program. As an act of kindness on behalf of the SLA, the following shall occur:

a. The CEM shall be granted active membership in the SLA in exchange for their

services. b. The CEM will not be required to attend ANY events the SLA holds given their

role. c. The CEM shall not be required to attend any meetings. d. The CEM must be briefed on any changes to the elections policy or

Constitution prior to the election period.


Section V. Tasks of CEMThe CEM will be responsible for managing the Student Law Association Voting Email address (identified in Article VII) during the election period, they will be expected to complete the following tasks:

a. Ensure cataloguing of submissions in order of submission and hierarchy

based on position [such as President, Candidate 1 (submitted on day 2), Candidate 2 (submitted day 3); Vice President Candidate 1 (submitted day 1)] b. Responding to student concerns (to the best of their ability); if unable to

answer request, the CEM shall request information (omitting any identifiers) from the SLA Executive. c. Upon completion of last day of election period, and commencement of

Election Voting period, the CEM shall be responsible for tabulating all votes submitted by members during the allotted voting time. Any votes submitted prior to or after the voting period shall not be counted. Only one vote shall be submitted per student.

a. All votes shall be cross-checked with membership list provided to

CEM by SLA Executive.

ARTICLE IV – NOMINATIONSSection I. CandidatesThe SLA Election period shall take place during the last week of March. The following positions shall be available for nomination during the election period:

a. President b. Vice-President c. Treasurer d. Operations Manager e. Junior Executive Officers (JEO)

a. Refer to Article VI on selection of JEO’s.

A member may only nominate him or herself to run for an Executive position if he/she has been a Junior Executive Officer for no less than one academic year, or was previously an Executive Officer.

Section II. Candidate QualificationsAs per Article 3, Section 1(a), within the SLA Constitution, based on the succession plan developed by the SLA, if there shall be a shortfall of candidates for the top four Executive Officers, an alternative to the succession plan is explained below.

If there are no eligible candidates available to run for the position of President or Vice- President, the JEO’s will be provided with an opportunity to break succession and nominate


themselves for one of these positions. The request must conform to the following guidelines:

a. The candidate must make a submission to both the President and Vice

President, electronically (for submission verification) and in physical paper copy, signed by the Candidate. b. The submission must be made two (2) business days prior to the

commencement of the first day of elections. c. The submission must contain the reasons why the candidate would like to

break succession, what makes the JEO a greater candidate for the position of President or Vice President, and why should the current President and Vice President break succession for this Candidate. d. Submissions must not be longer than (one) 1 page in length.

Failure to conform to all of these guidelines will result in a negative decision by the President and Vice-President.

The decision issued by the President and Vice President must be:

a. Unanimous b. Provided to the Candidate within forty-eight (48) hours, and c. Will be final.

If there is suspect of bias in the decision, the Executive may request assistance from the CEM and AAG to determine an fair and just decision for the applicant.

As per Article 3, Section 1(b), within the SLA Constitution if the position of Treasurer or Operations Manager is not fulfilled during the primary election period, the positions shall become open to all ACTIVE members of the SLA and Junior Executive Officers.

a. The ACTIVE members of the SLA are identified through the yearlong process

of cataloguing, record keeping, and attendance categorizing of members to ensure their activity within the club. b. Any members who nominate themselves for these positions, and are

however not on the ACTIVE member list, their application shall be disqualified.

i. The justification is that throughout the year there are multiple

opportunities to get involved and show commitment to the SLA, without this commitment, the executive cannot infer that the individual shall be committed to the executive committee. c. This position shall be filled through an interview process and

the decision

must be a majority by the executive council only.

In the event a natural hierarchy of experience is present and the senior executive unanimously agrees, that decision shall prevail for the eligible candidates, making Article 3, Section 2(b), null and void during the election and nomination period.


ARTICLE V – EXECUTIVE OFFICERSSection I. Role of ExecutiveThe SLA Executive Officers shall be determined by the members of the SLA. Each candidate must receive at least one vote from the SLA membership to hold an Executive position, regardless if the position only holds one candidate.

Once conferred the role of an Executive Officer, the term shall begin from May 1 until April 30th, of the following year. If the current executive chooses, there may be a training session provided to the incoming executive members as to ensure continuity and understanding of the SLA structure, prior to the beginning of their term, within a reasonable time for all outgoing and incoming members.

As per Article IV, within the SLA Constitution, the Executive Officer roles are described. These roles shall be adhered to and be made available to members to understand what each role entails. The critical features of each position are outlined below

The President is first and foremost responsible for overseeing all club activities, and ensuring continuity of the SLA.

The Vice President is responsible for assisting the President with their duties and ensuring the student body remains active within SLA through innovative and desired events while adhering to institutional, faculty and SA policies.

The Treasurer is primarily responsible for all club finances, and must have strong organizational skills to ensure accuracy of all records.

The Operations Manager is primarily responsible for planning and ensuring implementation of events, in addition to overseeing tasks of the JEO’s.

Section II. ConfidentialityDuring the Election period, any candidates that submit their files MUST remain confidential and MUST not reveal their identities to anyone until the submission period is over. Candidates may however mention they are running for a position, but must not clarify anything regarding their application, attempt to collect votes, state the position they are running for or conduct any activities that provide them a competitive edge above their candidates.

If a candidate is found to be violating this section of the Elections Policy, their application will be disqualified and will not be allowed to resubmit an application for the upcoming term.

If the applicant wishes to appeal this disqualification, investigations shall take place, and the Appeals Committee consisting of the SLA President, Vice President, and CEM, if necessary, the AAG shall also assist in the investigation (upon request). The decision by the Appeals Committee shall be final.


Section III. PromotionUnder no circumstances will any Executive Officer be allowed to promote their position in way of physical posters, handbills or any paper format. The SLA Executive shall not provide any financial support for Candidates to promote in anyway.

Promotions may occur post the submission period. Upon completion of final submissions list by the CEM, the qualified Executive candidates shall be notified and may prepare to promote themselves in the following manner:

a. Use of Social Media (no promotions that are paid for will be acceptable such

as ads) b. UOIT or Durham College regulated communication platforms shall NOT be allowed as a promotional tool for any candidates, this also includes any discussion boards and forums. c. All electronic posters, promotions, and posts must be pre-approved by the

CEM prior to posting. d. Posts must comply with all regulatory standards, must not violate any

copyright standards, and must be of original quality.

If physical copies (such as posters, handbills, or documents) are found around Campus or the Community to promote the Candidate, the Candidate shall be disqualified and all promotional materials shall be removed.



ARTICLE VI – JUNIOR EXECUTIVE OFFICERSSection I. Role of JEOAs per Article 5, within the SLA Constitution the Junior Executive Officer is a non-voting (unless otherwise granted), non-authoritative position that is a learning and training position within the SLA.

There shall be a total of five (5) JEO’s per term. During the election period, four (4) positions shall be available to all current students. The last position shall be filled in September at the beginning of the academic year as to include all incoming students in the SLA governance structure.


Section II. ConfidentialityDuring the Election period, any candidates that submit their files MUST remain confidential and MUST not reveal their identities to anyone until the submission period is over. Candidates may however mention they are running for a position, but must not clarify anything regarding their application, state the position they are running for or conduct any activities that provide them a competitive edge above their candidates.



Section III. PromotionAs per Article 3, Section 1, within the SLA Constitution the JEO candidates shall be selected through an interview process. No promotions for the position of JEO are allowed or will be granted.

Promotion in any manner as to bias the decisions of the Executive Officers will result in disqualification.

Section IV. Selection of JEO’sThe selection criteria of JEO candidates will vary per year depending on executive requirements, and the decision of the executive must be justified and with rationale. There must be a selection of four (4) JEO’s from the applicant pool.

All the applicants must engage in an interview, in addition to their written submissions. Both of these shall be part of the analysis in deciding for the JEO’s. A majority vote shall decide upon the incoming JEO’s.

The President will be provided the JEO submissions with and without names in completing a pre-analysis with the executive to eliminate applicants based on their written submissions. The President shall only reveal the JEO submissions without names to the remaining Executives, a majority vote among the Vice President, Treasurer and Operations Manager will result in a removal of the applicant. The President shall not be granted a vote in this preliminary process as to avoid any potential bias that may exist.

Prior to the Executive Officers deciding on any applicants, the written submissions with names will be provided to the Executive, wherein the President will have a vote in the final decision of the JEO’s selection process.

The decision of JEO’s by the SLA Executive Officers shall be final.


ARTICLE VII – COMMUICATIONThe CEM shall be the primary communicator between the Students, Candidates and the Executive during the election period. The SLA Executive first contact the members (Appendix C).

The CEM shall be granted access to the email address: [email protected]

The CEM must change the password that only they are aware of until the end of the election period and all decisions have been made.

If the CEM chooses, they may promote the SLA Elections:

a. The CEM is granted authority to promote the SLA Election in anyway method

(approved by the Executive they choose). Some examples include using posters or social media to enhance the level of submissions

I. This section does NOT contradict the meaning of promotions for

Executives and JEO’s as the CEM is simply promoting the elections, not a particular Candidate. II. The Executive will provide financial support in this situation as the

benefits directly relate to all members, rather than specific candidates. b. The promotional period may only run during the SLA Candidate submission

period. c. The official logo of the SLA has been modified for the SLA elections and is to

be used in all promotions the CEM decides to utilize for promoting the SLA Elections (Appendix A).

To minimize potential electronic failures in submission, the email account shall set up vacation responders from the gmail account to ensure that all Candidates receive a confirmation of submission (Appendix B).

ARTICLE VIII – SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTSThe submissions of the SLA Executive Officers and JEO’s must conform to the following:

a. Name, Year, and Position Running for b. 300 (MAX) word submission describing your qualifications c. Only one (1) submission is allowed per candidate, no candidate may run for

more than on position simultaneously. d. Submissions must only be made to [email protected] e. Submissions must be received no later than 5:00 PM on the last day of

submissions as identified by the CEM and SLA Executive.

ARTICLE IX – ACCEPTANCE OF BY-LAWThis By-Law, The Elections Policy of the Student Law Association, has been approved

in its entirety and shall be adhered to. Any modifications to the By-law must follow the processes outlined by the SLA Constitution. If a unanimous vote is not reached in modification of the by-law, the change cannot be enforced. The By-law shall remain in force and effect until superseded with a by-law that captures the essence of this document and ensures continuity of the SLA.

APPENDIX A – LOGO AND PROMOTION

This official modification to the SLA Logo has been approved for the purposes of SLA Elections only.



APPENDIX B – LETTERS OF COMMUNICATIONThese formal messages shall be used in the vacation responders throughout the Election Period.

During Submission Period:Hello Candidate,

Thank you for your submission to the Student Law Association for the Executive Committee term from 20XX to 20XX. If your email contains any questions, comments, or concerns, I will attempt to respond to you in a timely manner.

Please remember only one (1) submission per candidate, per election period is allowed. Submissions that do not adhere to the Guidelines of the Elections, it will not be considered.

Thank You,

Chief Elections Manager, SLA

Post-Submission, Prior to Voting Day:Hello,

If you are requesting permission for promotion, please ensure your promotions are clearly attached for review. The decision of the CEM shall be final. Please be reminded that all posts must conform to standards of the SLA Executive. If you have any questions, comments or queries, I shall respond to you in a timely manner.

Thank You,


Voting Day:Hello member,

Your vote has been counted. Please ensure only one vote per position per student is allowed. If you have any questions, comments or queries, I shall respond to you in a timely manner.

Thank You,


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studentlawassociation.files.wordpress.com€¦ · Web viewservices. b. The CEM will not be required to attend ANY events the SLA holds given their. role. c. The CEM shall not be