1. Eligibility
Any person who is a registered student at UTS , (excluding students currently on approved leave of absence) is eligible to stand for election and to vote. For some positions there are additional requirements for persons wishing to stand and/or vote. They are:
o Postgraduate Officer to be elected by and from postgraduate students
o Women’s Officer to be elected by and from students who have lived experience as a woman
o International Students’ Officer to be elected by and from students who hold a current Overseas Student Visa.
o Indigenous Students’ Officer to be elected by and from Indigenous Students
Candidates and nominators must all be eligible to vote in the particular position they are standing for, or nominating someone for.
A student can only nominate 1 candidate per position.
The Vertigo Editorial Team
The production and content of Vertigo is the sole responsibility of an editorial team of between 6 and 12 students elected annually by the student body. Candidates for the Vertigo editorial team must complete individual nomination forms, and a List Registration form.
2. How to nominate
ALL CANDIDATES MUST READ THE ELECTION REGULATIONS WHICH GOVERN THE RUNNING OF THE ELECTION.
These are available from the UTSSA website at https://utsstudentsassociation...
The nomination of a candidate for election shall be made in writing on the approved Nomination Form, signed by three (3) students eligible to vote for that particular position and countersigned by the candidate indicating their willingness to accept the nomination.
Policy Statements and Photos
Candidates may also submit a policy statement and a photograph for identification to appear in the election edition of Vertigo (this is not compulsory but advised).
Policy Statements and Photos must also be provided digitally, via USB or email.
The maximum length in words for Policy Statements is:
President 500 words
General Secretary 500 words
Assistant General Secretary 400 words
Education Officer 400 words
Welfare Officer 400 words
Postgraduate Officer 400 words
Womens’ Officer 400 words
International Students’ Officer 400 words
Indigenous Students’ Officer 400 words
Editors of Vertigo 400 words
All other candidates 250 words
A List may have a list statement not longer than 2000 words; an additional 1000 words and any surplus may be assigned to individual candidates by the list
Policy Statements must not be in breach of electoral Regulation 13.8 which states that all members and associates of the Students’ Association are prohibited from:
- Making any misleading, offensive, discriminatory, or dishonest statements in oral or written form
- The purpose of Photos is so that voters can make a visual identification of the candidate.
- Photos may be cropped by the Returning Officer.
When nominations are lodged by email to the Returning Officer, or for the soft copy lodged required for paper nominations, Statements should be in Word format and Photos in high resolution JPEG format, and be included as attachments or separate files.
Candidates who wish to nominate for more than one position should submit separate nomination forms and should indicate their preference for each position to the Returning Officer by email.
3. Group Nominations (Lists/Tickets)
Group nominations are possible where there is more than one position available for a particular office, ie for Student Representative Councillors and NUS, and is required for Editors of Vertigo
When a number of people are grouped together they may run under a common name and policy statement.
Candidates who wish to be grouped together by mutual consent must first complete an individual nomination form with three eligible nominators and then signify their willingness to be part of a List and accept their seniority rank by signing the List Grouping Form which must be submitted along with all the nominations for persons on the list prior to the close of nominations.
Any person nominated as a List agent should be aware that it is their responsibility to be contactable at all times by the Returning Officer, and to pass on to the candidates in their List any information given to them by the Returning Officer.
4. Submitting Nominations
Nomination forms must be emailed to the Returning Officer no later than 2pm Tuesday 20 September 2022 or alternatively, may be received at the Association Office at Broadway, from 12 noon to 2pm on Tuesday 20 September 2022. Soft copies of photos and statements are also required.
NOMINATIONS CLOSE AT 2pm TUESDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2022. No material will be accepted after this time.
5. Draw for Positions on the Ballot Paper.
This will take place at 1pm Thursday 22 September 2022 at the Student Association’s office. All candidates and members are invited to witness the Draw.
6. Candidates Meeting
A candidates meeting will be held at the Student Associations office immediately following the Draw for ballot paper positions on Thursday 22 September. At this meeting Candidates, List Agents and Students of UTS will have the opportunity to discuss any aspects of the election with the Returning Officer.
If you are unable to attend you may contact the Returning Officer by email or phone do discuss any issues.
7. Behaviour During the Election
Aggressive, offensive, racist, sexist, or intimidatory behavior or material from candidates or their supporters will not be tolerated.
8. Voting
Now that the Covid restrictions are gone voting will revert to the usual On-Campus In-Person style.
The ballot will be a secret ballot counted using the quota preferential system as outlined in Schedule 2 of the Election Regulations.
Polling booths will be located in at least 5 buildings around the campus and be open from 10.30 to 1.30pm and again from 3.30pm until 6.30 pm during the voting period.
The Voting period is from Tuesday 18 October to Thursday 20 October 2022 inclusive.
For positions where there is more than 1 to be elected, eg Student Representative Councillors, NUS, and Editors of Vertigo there will be ABOVE-THE-LINE and BELOW-THE-LINE voting.
The ballot paper will show List names and independent candidates above the line. A vote above the line is counted as a vote for all candidates of that group in the order they are printed.
Candidates who are members of the List will be shown in the below the line section.
Voters can vote below the line for individual candidates in whatever order they prefer and can mix between lists.
The voting method is optional preferential.
9. Postal Voting
Any member of the Association who is entitled to vote and who will be absent from campus during voting times may apply for a postal vote. The application for a postal vote must be in writing and must be sent to the Returning Officer before the close of nominations. Forms are available on the UTSSA website.
10. Closed Campus
All persons campaigning for any candidate or group in the campaigning period must be a currently enrolled student of UTS, not including students currently on an approved leave of absence or banned from nominating or participating in an election by the Grievance Committee. No other person may campaign or engage in the promotion of any candidate or group, whether online or in person.
11. Campaigning Period.
The period of election shall begin at 5 pm, on Monday 3 October. (15 days before the first day of voting).
No form of campaigning or promotion of any candidate or group, whether online or in person, is permitted before this period
12. Further Information
Any questions you may have can be directed to the Returning Officer on 0432 218 026 or at returning.officer@ozemail.com.au