2010 Elections

By secretary On March 14, 2010

Assalaamu alaikum,
On behalf of the MSA Election’s Committee, we would like to announce the beginning of the MSA elections period as well as the beginning of the application process for Directorship positions for the 2010-2011 term. As the Elections Committee, we are an independent body, and are not allowed to run or vote in the elections. All questions and concerns regarding the elections and the application process should be addressed to us only at elections@uoftmsa.com.

The following email (which is reproduced at http://uoftmsa.com/2010/03/2010-elections/) contains many important pieces of information regarding the elections and application process. Please read it carefully.

During these next few weeks nominations and elections for the Executive Positions and Application process for Directorship Positions will take place for the 2010-2011 academic year.

Policies have been put in place by the Elections Committee to ensure that MSA elections run smoothly, fairly and transparently. Questions regarding these policies are welcome via email at elections@uoftmsa.com.

1 GENERAL GUIDELINES

2 TIMELINE

3 NOMINATIONS FOR EXECUTIVE POSITIONS

4 APPLICATION FOR DIRECTORSHIP POSITIONS

5 EXECUTIVE POSITIONS ELECTIONS

6 EXECUTIVE POSITIONS RESULTS ANNOUNCEMENT

7 SUPPLEMENTAL – ELECTION RULES

8 SUPPLEMENTAL -APPOINTMENT of DIRECTORS

General Guidelines

a) To apply for a directorship position, vote or nominate an individual, you and that individual must be registered members of the MSA, which means subscription to the MSA-L mailing list. If you are receiving this by email then you are already subscribed. If you and/or the individual are not subscribed to our list, please fill out the membership form located here. Memberships subscribed after Tuesday March 23, 2010 at 11:59pm CANNOT apply for a directorship position, and/or nominate, run, or vote during the executive elections.
b) Election guidelines can be found in article 11 of the constitution.

c) Application for Directorship guidelines can be found in article 13 of the constitution.
c) There shall no campaigning in favour of or against any candidate/applicant
d) Throughout this process, the Elections Committee advises that members select only those people who they think will be able to successfully accomplish the mandated roles. For information on specific responsibilities for Executives, please read below under the Nominations for Executive Positions section. For information on specific responsibilities for Directors, please read below under the Application for Directorship Positions section.

General Timeline

As of today, Monday March 15, 2010, nominations and applications begin

March 23, 2010 (Tuesday 11:59pm) – Last day to subscribe to the MSA-L to be able to nominate, be nominated, to vote and run in the elections and/or apply for a directorship position

March 24, 2010 (Wednesday) -Meet & Greet with the current execs

March 26, 2010 (Friday 3 pm) – Nominations for Executive positions and applications for directors end
March 28, 2010 (Sunday 5 pm) – Deadline for Executive candidates to submit their written statements
March 29, 2010 (Monday 4pm- 6pm) – All Executive Candidates forum in BA1230
March 30 – 31, 2010 (Tuesday – Wednesday, 12pm -5pm) – Voting for Executive positions takes place @ tba

April 5, 2010 (Monday) -Executive Results will be officially announced

May 7, 2010 – Directors will be appointed by the in-coming executive

Nominations for Executive Positions

Nomination Period: Monday, March 15, 2010 – Friday, March 26, 2010 (3pm)
The following Executive positions are up for election:

President
Secretary
Vice-President Communications
Vice-President Internal
Vice-President External
Vice-President finance
Vice-President Student Life
Vice-President Social Advancement

Detailed descriptions for the above list of positions can be found here (Article 5 of Constitution).

For more information about any of the positions or responsibilities drop by the International Students Centre (33 St. George Street) on Wednesday March 24 between 3 pm – 5 pm or to the special MSA meet & greet that will take place from 5pm – 7pm.

Members can nominate any number of individuals, including themselves for at most two (2) positions.

The deadline for submitting nominations is: March 26, 2010 (Friday 3 pm)
The preferred method for submitting a nomination is through online submission.

The form can be found here. Please ensure that you have filled out all the requested contact information for yourself and the individual you are nominating as it facilitates contacting nominees in a timely manner. Incomplete forms will be discarded.

If you are unable to submit the forms online, they can be picked up & dropped off from the following location:

MSA Office, Suite 505 (21 Sussex Avenue)

Nominees will be contacted starting Friday, March 26, 2010, to inform them of the positions for which they have been nominated. We expect nominees to accept or decline the nomination by 5pm on Sunday, March 28, 2010 by emailing the elections committee at elections@uoftmsa.com in addition to their written statements, which will only be accepted until 5 pm Sunday March 28, 2010.

Application for Directorship Positions

Application Period: Monday, March 15, 2010 – Friday, March 26, 2010 (3pm)
The following Directorship positions are open:

The Advisor to the Executives
The Website Director
The Advertising Director
The Special Events Director
The Muslim Voice Director
The Outreach Director
The Religious Services Director
The Brothers’ Events Director
The Sisters’ Events Director
The Community Affairs Director
The Students for World Justice Director
The Academic Services Director
The Fundraising Director
The Education Director

Detailed descriptions for the above list of positions can be found here (section 4 of the MSA-UTSG Handbook).

Members can apply to as many Directorships as s/he wishes. All applicants, except applicants to the Advisor Directorship, must be current UofT students.
The deadline for submitting an application is: March 26, 2010 (Friday 3 pm)
Applications will ONLY be accepted via the online form available here.
Please ensure that all the requested contact information has been filled out. Incomplete forms will be discarded.

Directorship applicants will be contacted by the in-coming executive by May 7 2010 (Friday).

Executive Positions Elections

All members will be informed of those candidates who have accepted their nominations by 5pm on Sunday, March 28, 2010 via an MSA-L email. Members can find out more about candidates and ask them questions at the All Executive Candidates Forum taking place on Monday, March 29, 2010 from 4 pm – 6 pm at Bahen Centre (BA) 1230

Candidates will be expected to prepare a written statement which should be submitted to elections@uoftmsa.com by 5 pm Sunday, March 28, 2010. Additionally candidates will have an opportunity to present their platform in front of members and to answer questions at the All Executive Candidates Forum.

Voting will take place from Tuesday March 30, 2010 to Wednesday March 31, 2010. Voters will have access to candidates statements at the polling booths. All voters will be required to present University of Toronto identification.

Each member can only vote for one candidate for every Executive Committee position. On the ballot all fields have to be filled with a candidate or else the ballot will be considered invalid.

We would like to encourage all our members to come out and vote and to make an informed vote as they will be selecting leaders and representatives of Muslims on campus for the upcoming year.

Executive Positions Results Announcement

The final results for 2009-2010 Executive Positions will be announced on or before Monday April 5, 2010.

The Elections Committee once again urges that your decisions are based on who would be the best suited for the position, and who would be best able to fulfill their duties most successfully.

If there are any questions please do not hesitate to email the Elections Committee at elections@uoftmsa.com

Aisha Chaudhry

Asma Desai

Ebadur Rahman

Zoheb Taher

Supplemental – Election Rules

Extracted from the MSA Constitution as of March 2010 – Article 11 – Elections

Article 11 – Elections

Section 1
Annual elections shall be held within the last month of the University of Toronto September to April Academic Term, in order to elect the Executive for the following academic year. The exact date and time of elections shall be announced by the Elections’ Committee at least 2 (two) weeks prior to the date of the election.

Section 2
The elections shall be conducted by an Elections’ Committee appointed by the Executive.
The Elections’ Committee must be nominated at least 3 (three) weeks prior to the date of the election.

Section 3
The Elections’ Committee shall have one chairperson. The Elections’ Committee shall comprise at least three persons, and it is preferred that it include at least 1/3 female persons. The Elections’ Committee shall not include any candidate contesting the election.

Section 4
The members of the Election Committee shall not campaign on behalf of or against any candidate standing for election or comment on, favorably or unfavorably, any of the candidates standing for election. The members of the Election Committee may not vote in the elections.

Section 5
The period to nominate candidates for the Executive Committee must remain open for at least ten (10) days, and must be announced to the members of the Association via regular mail or email.

Section 6
A candidate may be nominated for no more than two positions on the MSA Executive. All candidates must be U. of T. members (i.e. students, staff, faculty, alumni). It is preferred that a candidate nominated for President has served as a member of the MSA Executive for at least one year.

Section 7
A candidate requires two nominators in order to be nominated to the Executive. The nominator and seconders of nominations must both be General Members of MSA. The Elections Committee must accept the nomination by a majority vote.

Section 8
An MSA member who is not registered as a General Member (as per Article 3) within 1 (one) week prior to the date of the election shall have no right to vote nor the right to be a candidate in the election. An MSA member is eligible to vote and to run for office if he/she is a U. of T. member.

Section 9
There shall no campaigning in favor of or against any candidate.

Section 10
Each voting member shall vote for one candidate for every Executive position. On the ballot the selection of one single candidate must be clearly indicated or the ballot will be considered invalid. A person will be elected to office by a simple majority vote.

Section 11
If a candidate is elected to more than one position he or she must select one position and withdraw from the other position. In that case the candidate attaining the second-highest number of votes in the withdrawn position is elected to that position.

Section 12
The Elections Committee may censure publicly or disqualify any candidate who violates the
Constitution or the rules of the Election.

Section 13
The newly elected Executive shall assume the charge of the MSA on the first day of June following the election. The term of the Executive shall be for one year, as per Article 4.

Supplemental – Appointment of Directors

Extracted from the MSA Constitution as of March 2010 – Article 13 – Appointment of Directors

Section 1

Those eligible for Directorship positions may apply to the MSA Executive for a Directorship using a

form approved by the last MSA Executive committee.

Section 2

Application to Directorship positions for the following term shall take place during the MSA Executive

Elections for that term. The opening of the Application process shall be announced in conjunction with

announcements for Executive Elections (i.e. two weeks prior to the date of the Executive Elections)

and the application process shall be closed on Election Day.

Section 3

The Applications shall be submitted to and collected by the Elections’ Committee appointed by the

Executive. (As described in Article 11, Section 2).

Section 4

The members of the Election Committee shall not campaign on behalf of or against any applicant to a

Directorship or comment on, favorably or unfavorably, any of the applicants.

Section 5

The period to apply for Directorships must remain open for at least ten (10) days, and must be

announced to the members of the Association via regular mail or email.

Section 6

A candidate may apply for as many Directorships as s/he wishes. All applicants, excepting applicants

to the Advisor Directorship, must be current U. of T. students.

Section 7

A member who is not registered as a General MSA Member (as per Article 3) within 1 (one) week

prior to the date of the opening of the application process shall have no right to apply to a Directorship.

Section 8

There shall no campaigning in favor of or against any applicant.

Section 12

The Elections Committee may censure publicly or disqualify any applicant who violates the

Constitution.

Section 13

Once an in-coming Executive has been elected, it shall appoint applicants to Directorships for the

upcoming MSA term. The decision on whom to appoint to each Directorship shall at first be attempted

to reach through consultation, with the aim of attaining consensus. If the issue at hand appears to be

irresoluble via consensus, the chair can end the discussion and seek permission to resort to a vote.

At least two-thirds of the Executive must be in favour of terminating discussion and passing decision

via a majority vote. If less than two-thirds of the Executive are in favour of moving to a vote, attempt

to attain consensus resumes. If at least two-thirds of the Executive are in favour of moving to a vote,

the issue at hand will be resolved via a simple majority vote and the decision will come to pass. If the

vote results in a tie, attempt to attain consensus will resume.

If at least two-thirds of the Executive is in favour of holding interviews with applicants, interviews of all

applicants to the Directorships shall take place. Each interview shall be conducted by a minimum of

three Executives, including the Executive responsible for overseeing the Directorship being contested.

Section 14

The out-going Executive shall review the list of applicants to the Directorship positions and submit

recommendations to the in-coming Executive. Recommendations shall include a ranking of applicants

for each Directorship and an explanation of the reasons behind the rankings. Recommendations shall

be submitted within two weeks of the closure of the application process.

Section 15

The in-coming Executive committee shall attempt to appoint an applicant to every Directorship within

two weeks of receiving recommendations from the out-going Executive committee. No person may be

appointed to more than one Directorship at one time. This two-week period shall be known as the

“Appointment Period.”

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