Elections

26(1)(l) 28 persons elected by, and from amongst, the students of the university in the method determined under clause 34(1)(cc), and, in addition, the president of the University of Manitoba Students' Union.

34(1)...the senate shall...
(cc) by by-law, determine the method of election of students elected to the senate under clause 26(1)(l).

Term of Office

28(1) ...
(b) the term of each member elected by the students of the university under clause 26(1)(l) shall be as determined by the senate under clause 34(1)(cc).

Notification of Name of Member

28(3) The body possessing the power of appointment or election of a member of senate shall forthwith after the appointment or the election by it of a member of the senate give notice thereof in writing to the secretary of the senate; and no appointed or elected member of the senate has the right to sit or act as a member of the senate unless his appointment or election is so certified in writing to the secretary of the senate.

The total number of students to be elected is 28, and the students of the respective faculties and schools shall be entitled to elect such persons as follows:

• Agricultural and Food Sciences: 1
• Architecture: 1
• Arts: 3
• Dentistry (including Dental Hygiene): 1
• Education: 2
• Engineering: 1
• Environment, Earth, and Resources: 1
• Fine Arts: 1
• Graduate Studies: 3
• Human Ecology: 1
• Kinesiology and Recreation Management: 1
• Law: 1
• Management: 2
• Medicine: 1
• Medical Rehabilitation: 1
• Music: 1
• Nursing: 1
• Pharmacy: 1
• Science: 3
• Social Work: 1

Total = 28

1. The Returning Officer of each faculty or school shall be the Senior Stick or equivalent or delegate.

2. The Registrar of the University of Manitoba shall provide each Returning Officer, prior to the end of the second week in January, with a list of students of the University of Manitoba registered in that faculty or school, which list shall constitute the official list of students of that faculty or school and the Voters' List for the purpose of the election. If a student entitled to vote in a particular faculty or school is omitted from the official voters' list the student may apply to the Dean of the faculty or school, or to the Registrar, for written permission to vote in that faculty or school. Such written permission may be given at any time prior to the closing of polls and shall be delivered by each student to the Returning Officer or delegate prior to casting a ballot.

3. Each student of the University whose name appears on the official list of students referred to in #2 above shall be eligible to nominate, be nominated and to vote. Voting shall be by placing an "X" opposite the name of each candidate of choice; provided, however, that a student may mark such "X" opposite only as many names of candidates as there are students to be so elected from that faculty or school. No ballot shall be spoiled by reason only of a student placing an "X" opposite fewer number of names of candidates than there are students to be so elected to the Senate from that faculty or school.

4. The terms of office of those elected shall be from 1 April in the year of an election until 31 March of the following year.

5. If a student elected by a faculty or school ceases to be a student of that faculty or school but continues to be a student, the student may, at the option of the student council of the faculty or school that elected the student, continue as their representative.

6. For the purposes of this by-law, the registration of a student shall be deemed to continue until the final date of registration for the next regular session has elapsed and the student has not re-registered.

7. The student candidates, up to the number to be elected, receiving the highest number of votes shall be deemed to be elected.

8. In the event that two or more candidates receive an equal number of votes, and only one of them is to be elected, the one of them to be so elected shall be decided by the casting vote of the Returning Officer of that faculty or school, or by such other method as that faculty or school student council may decide.

9. Each faculty or school student council shall have the responsibility of conducting the nominations and elections of its own students to Senate, but may appoint an Elections Committee to conduct the nominations and elections of such students, and to appoint such Deputy Returning Officers, scrutineers and other election officers as are deemed necessary to conduct the nominations and elections.

10. Any ten or more students of the faculty or school whose names appear on the official list of students referred to in #2 above may nominate any other student of that faculty or school as a candidate for election to the Senate by signing and causing to be filed with the Returning Officer a nomination paper in the form set out in #11 below, which nomination paper shall be accompanied by the consent in writing of the person therein nominated. No other method of nomination shall be provided for, and no other requirement, other than that stated in this paragraph, shall have any force or effect.

11. All nominations for election of students of the University to Senate shall be in the following form: (Note: The signatures and student numbers shall be legible and correspond with the names, initials and student numbers under which they are registered in the University.)

We, the undersigned students of the Faculty/School of _____ hereby nominate (here set out name in full and student number of candidate under which he or she is registered as a student), a member of the _____ year/class (if applicable) of the Faculty/School of _____ as a candidate for election to the Senate of the University of Manitoba at the election to be held on (here insert date).

WITNESS OUR HANDS this _____ day of _____  20__.

Signed in the Presence of:

(space for ten (10) signatures and student numbers)

I, the person nominated in the foregoing nomination paper, hereby consent to such nomination.

WITNESS MY HAND this _____ day of _____ 20__.

Signed in the Presence of: __________.

12. If the number of students nominated pursuant to the nominations filed as hereinbefore provided within the time fixed for such nominations does not exceed the number of students to be elected to the Senate, the Returning Officer shall forthwith declare those students who have been duly nominated to have been elected. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Faculty or School Student Council by-laws subject such nominations to a "Yes/No" referendum, only those nominees who receive a majority of YES votes shall be declared elected. Abstentions shall not be included in the count.

13. The date of election shall be established by each faculty and school student council providing, however, that the date so fixed shall not be later than the third Friday in March or such later date as approved by the Office of the University Secretary. All polls shall be opened at nine o'clock in the forenoon and shall be kept open until four o'clock in the afternoon on election day. Any faculty or school having a significant number of evening classes shall make provision for advance polling during the evening for the convenience of students in such classes.

14. The Returning Officer shall establish and provide for such polling divisions as considered advisable.

15. The ballots cast at any poll shall be counted as soon as possible after the holding of the election, and the Returning Officer shall certify the result of the elections to the University Secretary and to each candidate, and shall, in addition, retain all ballot papers subject to #19 of this procedure.

16. Irregularities in the nomination process or in the conduct of the election shall be reported to the University Secretary. At any time before the day fixed for the election, the University Secretary, after investigation, may extend the time for doing any act. The decision of the University Secretary shall be final and binding.

17. One day after the certification of the vote to the University Secretary and to the candidates as aforesaid, the Returning Officer shall cause to be posted in each faculty and school a copy of the certification.

18. Any candidate may, within five days of the date of delivery of the certification of the election to the University Secretary challenge the validity of the election by delivering personally to the University Secretary a statement in writing containing the particulars of such challenge. If such statement is so delivered to the University Secretary, the Executive Committee of Senate shall establish a Committee to hear and determine matters contained in such statement and to report thereon to Senate.

19. If no such statement is delivered as hereinbefore provided within the five days aforesaid, then the election shall be deemed to be final, and the University Secretary shall certify to each candidate that no statement challenging the election has been so delivered.

20. If no challenge is made by any of the candidates to the validity of the election within five days of the date of certification of the result by the Returning Officer, the ballot papers shall be destroyed.

21. The Senate, notwithstanding any non-compliance with a procedural matter and notwithstanding any irregularity in the conduct of the election, may approve the results of any election.

22. The decision of the Senate shall be final and binding as to all matters concerning the election.

23. Vacancy: If a vacancy occurs in the office of a student representative on Senate other than by expiration of a term of office, such vacancy shall be filled by an election of those entitled to vote for the said office, on a date that the University Secretary shall designate.

24. Removal of a Member: A member of Senate elected by a student body under these rules and procedures may be removed from office by the vote of the students who are eligible to vote within that faculty or school. Such vote may be conducted either by referendum or by general meeting for which appropriate notice has been given. The student council of the faculty or school concerned shall determine when and how such general meeting may be called or such referendum held, and shall be in charge of the conduct of such meeting or referendum. Such general meeting or referendum shall be called or conducted by the student council either on its own motion or upon receipt of a removal petition signed by at least 10% of the students eligible to vote for student representatives within that faculty or school.

Approved 2 January 1973
Revised 12 October 1973
Revised 3 August 1993
Revised 21 June 2002