2020 UMSU General Elections
The UMSU Constitution specifies its 2020 elections are to be held September 7-11.
Nominations will open on July 27, and close on August 14 at midday precisely
The UMSU constitution does not allow for online elections. Given the impracticality of voting in person during the pandemic, voting will be by postal vote. Members wishing to vote need to apply using the online postal vote application form below, which closes at 5pm on Tuesday September 1. If possible, postal votes will be sent early to people who have applied before August 28, but we cannot yet be sure whether this will be practical.
Online Postal Vote Application
Applications for postal votes may only be made by the recipient themselves. Any evidence of multiple lodgement will be treated very seriously
(If you have problems accessing these forms, please email the Deputy Returning Officer on s.luntz@unimelb.edu.au)
Additional forms needed for some nominees
Declaration-of-eligability_20 (This must be submitted by anyone nominating for positions restricted to students with disabilites, queer students, students of colour or women students)
Conflict_of_position_2020 (This must be filled out and submitted by anyone running for positions that cannot be held concurrently, such as an office bearer and committe or more than two committees)
Stephen Luntz
Deputy Returning Officer
Above Quota Elections.
Notice of Election
University of Melbourne Annual Student Election
7th-11th September 2020
Notice is hereby given that nominations will open at 12 midday on Monday 27th July, for the 2020 University of Melbourne Annual Student Election.
Positions to be filled at the election include:
1. Office-bearers, committees and Students’ Council of the University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU), including
the Burnley Student Department and the Victorian College of the Arts Department
2. A student fellow of the University Council
3. Delegates to the National Union of Students (NUS)
4. Several vacant positions to be filled by by-election for the remainder of 2020
A complete list of positions appears at the end of this notice.
Nominations close at 12 midday on Friday 14th August.
Polling will take place from Monday 7th September until Friday 11th September (inclusive). All students are eligible to vote. A detailed schedule of polling times and locations will be posted after close of nominations. Students may also vote by post – applications for postal votes close at 5pm on Tuesday September 1. Applications submitted by the end of August will be sent ballots earlier if they are available.
Tickets: Any fifteen (15) students may register a ticket to run in the election by filling in the appropriate form. Applications for Ticket Registration open and close at the same time as nominations. It is not necessary to be on a ticket to run in the election.
In light of the difficulties in having students sign ticket registration forms, unsigned forms will be accepted, provided they are submitted as attachments to emails that cc in the university email address of those stundents that have not signed.
Tickets that are running candidates for multi-member positions should also submit a form showing the order in which they wish their candidates to appear. Candidates running for positions that cannot be held concurrently should submit a form showing which positions they wish to hold in case of a conflict.
Ticket registration forms, candidate order forms and conflict of position forms must all be submitted by close of nominations. All forms are available from the Returning Officer or can be downloaded from the election website (see below).
Policy speeches: Candidates may also, with their nominations, submit policy statements for publication in Farrago and on the election website. Policy statements must not exceed 300 words for UMSU office-bearer positions or 100 words for all other positions. A photo session for office-bearer candidates will be organized after close of nominations.
In addition, tickets may submit a 1000 word policy statement.
Please note that all deadlines are strict and cannot be extended. Candidates are strongly urged to lodge their forms well before the deadlines. Nominations and postal votes should be submitted at http://union.unimelb.edu.au/elections. All other forms should be emailed as an attachment to the deputy Returning Officer or an authorised electoral official. Where this is not practicable, please contact the Returning Officer to make other arrangements. Do not post forms without prior arrangement, as no responsibility will be taken for late or lost forms under those circumstances. It is not possible to accept faxed or emailed forms.
Contact details
Visit the Election website: http://union.unimelb.edu.au/elections
Deputy Returning Officer: Stephen Luntz (Ph: 0438 667 787)
Returning Officer: Jaimie Adam (Ph:0430 734 043)
Email: ReturningOfficer@unimelb.edu.au (note this has yet to be activated) or s.luntz@unimelb.edu.au
Mail: UMSU Returning Officer, c/o Above Quota Elections, PO Box 2157, Fitzroy, VIC 3065
Notices will also be posted on the Students’ Council notice board, first floor, Union House, where possible
Positions for Election
UMSU Annual Election
Office Bearers:
President
General Secretary
Education (Academic Affairs) Officer
Education (Public Affairs) Officer
Welfare Officer
Women’s Officer *
Creative Arts Officer
Activities Officer
Queer Officer *
Environment Officer
Media Officers *
Clubs & Societies Officer
Indigenous Officer *
Disabilities Officer *
People of Colour Officer *
Students’ Council:
One representative of each of the following restricted constituencies:
Queer students *
Indigenous students *
International students *
Graduate students *
Students with disabilities *
Students of Colour *
Fifteen (15) general members elected by all students
Seven (7) members on each of the following Committees:
Activities Committee
Creative Arts Committee
Disabilities Committee *
Education Committee
Environment Committee
Indigenous Committee *
People Of Colour Committee *
Queer Committee *
Welfare Committee
Women’s Committee *
Burnley Student Department:
Campus Coordinator *
Seven (7) general Committee members *
Southbank Department:
Campus Co-ordinator *
Campaigns Co-ordinator *
Activities and Events Co-ordinator *
Seven (7) general Committee members *
University council (one position for two years)
* See restrictions on election
National Union of Students
Seven (7) Delegates to the National Conference of the National Union of Students Inc.
By-Elections for the remainder of 2020
Education (Public Affairs) Officer
Indigenous Committee
Burnley Committee
Southbank Committee
Restrictions on election
Any student may nominate for any position unless otherwise specified below.
The position of Media Officers must be held jointly by teams of three or four candidates. All other officer positions, except for President and General Secretary, may be held either individually or by two candidates jointly. Candidates who are running as a team should each fill out a nomination form and submit them stapled together, with a single policy statement.
If more than one person holds the office of Women’s Officer, one of them must be a Woman of Colour.
For all other committees, including the Burnley and Southbank Committees and the general members of Students’ Council (but not the NUS delegation), at least half of the members (ignoring remainders) must be women, provided there are sufficient female candidates.
Candidates for Queer Officer, Queer Representative on Students’ Council and Queer Committee must be Queer students. (See Regulation 32.4 for further detail.) If more than one person holds the office of Queer Officer, one of them must be a Woman or Trans.
If more than one person holds any other office, one of them must be a Woman.
Candidates for Indigenous Officer, Indigenous Representative on Students’ Council and Indigenous Committee must be Indigenous students.
Candidates for Disabilities Officer, Disabilities Committee and the Disability Representative on Students’ Council must be students with disabilities.
Candidates for International Representative on Students’ Council must be International students.
Candidates for Graduate Representative on Students’ Council must be Graduate students.
Candidates for the Burnley positions must be enrolled at the Burnley campus. Candidates for the Southbank positions must be enrolled at the Southbank campus.
Students running for any of these positions must submit a form stating their elibility for the relevant position.
Students running for multiple incompatible positions must submit a form indicating their order of preference.
No person can stand for election if they are employed half-time or more by UMSU, the University, MU Student Union Ltd or related bodies, or any combination thereof. In the case of the University Council position that includes any casual employment with the University. No person can stand for an office-bearer position if they have already served two terms of office as an office-bearer.
For further information on eligibility to stand and to vote in the election, please consult the Election Regulations, available at the UMSU Office and on the election website. Copies of the Regulations can also be obtained at the Election Office, where further enquiries are welcome.
Jaimie Adam
Above Quota Elections Pty Ltd
Returning Officer
27th July 2020
Reports on Previous Year’s Elections
UMSU Semester 2 Byelection Report
View the complete UMSU Report19 with Council general reps and NUS countsheets.
