Elections & Referenda

The UTSU Board of Directors governs YOUR Students’ Union. It is composed of members, just like you.

Full-time status as an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto St. George campus. Exceptions include

• Being enrolled as an M. Div. student in the Toronto School of Theology
• Being enrolled in the Transitional Year Program
• Being an engineer who is currently in their Professional Experience Year (PEY)

All students in these categories are included in the UTSU membership, regardless of their full-time or undergraduate status.

• All UTSU fees are paid in full
• 18 years of age at the point of ratification

Please visit our “Board Structure” page for more information.

1 – By Elections:

Most of the Directors on the UTSU Board are elected by our membership in the Spring elections. Visit our Upcoming Elections page for details on which seats are open in the upcoming elections.

The UTSU also holds elections in the Fall for by-elections and faculties that offer one (1) year programs. The existing Board, prior to the new terms of office, ratifies newly elected members.

2 – By Appointment:

Further, Directors may be appointed by the UTSU Board should a vacancy arise after the by-election period. Visit utsu.ca/jobs for more information.

Online voting is available 24-hours a day during the voting period. Members can vote anywhere and at anytime during the voting period at utsu.simplyvoting.com.

Members can vote for every executive seat, with the exception of the Vice-President, Professional Faculties. Only members that belong to professional faculties elect the Vice-President, Professional Faculties. When it comes to the Board of Directors, members will vote for ten (10) Board Members-at-Large.

This depends upon whether you are a member of an Academic Constituency or a Professional Faculty. In the case of the Academic Directors, only UTSU members who are part of one or more of the academic constituencies may vote for candidates from those constituencies.

STV is a voting system that utilizes ranked balloting, allowing for proportional representation of the membership. If you wish to learn more about STV voting, click on the link provided: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8XOZJkozfI

Obtain a nomination package, mark yourself down as a candidate by following the instructions provided at the top of this page, and attend an all-candidates meeting to learn all the specifics about running in our elections.

If you ever have any questions during the election season, please contact cro@utsu.ca and you should receive a prompt reply. Should you have any questions outside of the election season, please contact president@utsu.ca or vpoperations@utsu.ca.

Please note that late submissions of nomination packages will not be accepted, as procedures need to be followed carefully to ensure that elections are being conducted freely and fairly.

A full list of open positions can be found at the top of this page.

All UTSU members are eligible to vote in UTSU elections, with the exception of the UTSU’s General Manager. UTSU members are defined as the following (current to August 2020):

1. All individuals who have registered full-time at the University of Toronto St. George campus, in a program leading to a degree, diploma, or certificate, are taking the equivalent of a full-time course load at the University of Toronto for the current session, and who have paid membership fees to the UTSU.
2. Registered students of the Toronto School of Theology.
3. Registered students of the Transitional Year Program.
4. Registered students of the Professional Employment Year program.
5. Members of the Executive Committee during their respective terms in office, including the General Manager of the UTSU.

A referendum is a vote held by an organization to determine its membership’s position on a particular question. The outcome of a referendum is binding, i.e. the organization must take steps to comply with the outcome of the vote.

All referenda questions are phrased as Yes/No/Abstain questions. This means that there will be campaigning in one of two (2) categories: Yes or No. Anyone wishing to campaign on either side must form or join an advocacy committee and register its members with the Chair of the Elections and Referenda Committee (ERC) and the Chief Returning Officer (CRO) and declare its position.

You must provide the Chair of the ERC and the CRO the following information:

1. The full name of the Advocating Committee.
2. The name, address and telephone number of the chief agent of the committee.
3. The names, addresses, telephone number and title of each member of the committee.

There can only be one (1) advocacy committee per position, i.e. Yes or No campaign. Therefore, if there is already a registered advocacy committee, all members will have to be registered and work together.

All the rules for campaigning in a referendum are outlined in the Charter of Referenda.

READ THE CHARTER OF REFERENDA