Regulation 9: Election of members to the Senate

9.1 Election of staff members

(a) For the purpose of the election of members to the Senate under the provisions of Statute 12, separate electoral rolls shall be kept by the Registrar and Secretary of those entitled to vote for the categories of staff described in Statutes 12.1.h, 12.1.i and 12.1.j respectively, and, subject to (c) below, shall be conclusive evidence that any person whose name appears therein at the time of claiming to vote or of being elected is entitled to vote or be elected and that any person whose name does not appear therein is not so entitled.

(b) During each January notices of the dates of election under Statutes 12.1.h, 12.1.i and 12.1.j, which shall be in the following month of February, shall be circulated by the Registrar and Secretary to all those entitled to vote in the respective elections. However, if there is no vacancy for a member under Statute 12.1 j, and the term of the member elected under that provision is not to expire in the current academic year, and that member has not given notice of resignation from the Senate or from the office of Provost to take effect in that academic year, then the Registrar and Secretary shall not at that time give notice of any date for an election under Statute 12.1.j.

(c) In the election of staff of the category described in Statute 12.1.h, the roll referred to in (a) above, after the deletion of the names of the members of the Senate whose terms do not expire in the current calendar year, shall constitute a provisional list of candidates for election to the Senate, and shall be made available by the Registrar and Secretary to all persons whose names appear thereon not less than four weeks before the date of the election; persons who do not wish to stand for election may withdraw their names from the list of candidates. A voting paper, listing the names of all those eligible for election to the Senate who have not withdrawn their names and identifying those who are ex officio members of the Senate and those who will be on leave of absence from the University for two terms or more in the next academic year, shall be circulated by the Registrar and Secretary to all those entitled to vote not less than two weeks before the date of the election. Each elector may cast one vote for each of not more than that number of members which the Registrar and Secretary specifies on the voting paper as the number of vacancies.

(d) In the election of staff of the category described in Statute 12.1.i, the Registrar and Secretary, not less than four weeks before the date of the election, shall write inviting all those entitled to vote in the election to nominate candidates for election to the Senate. Candidates shall be members of the category of staff described in Statute 12.1.i. A nomination form, obtainable from the Registrar's Department, shall in each case be signed by the nominee and by not fewer than six persons entitled to vote in the election, and shall be returned to the officer designated by the Registrar and Secretary not less than eighteen days before the date of the election. Subject to the final sentence of this sub-paragraph, a voting paper, listing all those nominated and those who have nominated them, shall be circulated by the Registrar and Secretary to all those entitled to vote not less than two weeks before the date of the election. Each elector may cast one vote for each of not more than that number of members which the Registrar and Secretary specifies on the voting paper as the number of vacancies. If, however, the number of those nominated does not exceed the number of vacancies, then no election shall be held and those nominated shall be declared elected unopposed.

(e) In the election of staff of the category described in Statute 12.1.j, the roll referred to in (a) above shall constitute a provisional list of candidates for election to the Senate, and shall be circulated in any year when notice of an election has been given by the Registrar and Secretary to all persons whose names appear thereon not less that four weeks before the date of the election; persons who do not wish to stand for election may withdraw their names from the list of candidates. A voting paper, listing the names of all those eligible for election to the Senate who have not withdrawn their names, shall be circulated by the Registrar and Secretary to all those entitled to vote not less than two weeks before the date of the election. Each elector may vote for one candidate.

(f) Not later than the day of the election electors shall return their completed voting papers to the member of the administrative staff designated for the purpose on the voting paper. The candidates among the relevant category for whom the greatest number of votes have been cast shall then in turn be declared elected to serve from 1 August following the election up to the number required to fill the vacancies for that category which will have arisen by that date. If there is an equality of votes between any two or more candidates, the Vice-Chancellor shall give such casting votes as may be necessary to decide who shall become a member of the Senate and for what term.

(g) Any casual vacancy occurring during the academic year shall automatically be filled by the person with the next highest number of votes after the members elected at the previous annual election and after any persons who have since become members by virtue of this paragraph; except that, in the case of a vacancy arising on a date less than three months before the next annual election, the vacancy shall be filled at that election by the person with the next highest number of votes after the members elected to fill the normal vacancies. In all cases, the persons elected shall hold office for the unexpired portion of the period of office of their predecessors on the basis that, where relevant, the person with the highest number of votes shall replace the member with the longest period still to serve. Where this paragraph requires a choice to be made between two or more persons who received an equality of votes, the Vice-Chancellor shall decide which of them shall become a member of the Senate.

9.2 Election of undergraduate student members

The procedure for conducting the election of undergraduate students to the Senate is as follows:

(a) Notice of the election shall be sent by the Registrar and Secretary to the President of the Students' Union at the beginning of the Autumn Term. The date and times of polling, together with instructions on the nomination procedure, shall be published in the form of a University Notice not later than the first Friday in the autumn term.

(b) The Returning Officer shall be appointed by the Students' Union in accordance with the normal rules governing such appointments, viz., the Returning Officer may not stand for election himself/herself nor propose or second any candidate for election. The name of the Returning Officer shall be notified to the Registrar and Secretary not later than the beginning of the Autumn Term.

(c) The nomination procedure shall be as for the election of Students' Union officers - viz., all nomination forms must be signed by the nominee, the proposer and four other registered students of the University, and handed in to the Returning Officer not less than 48 hours before the commencement of polling. The Returning Officer shall notify the Registrar and Secretary of the nominations received.

(d) Notices listing the nominations received, together with the names of the proposers and the four other signatories for each nominee, shall be prepared by the Students' Union and displayed in all colleges not less than 24 hours before the commencement of polling.

(e) A list of all the students of the University in each college who are eligible to vote and for election shall be prepared annually by the Registrar and Secretary, the list to be available for consultation by students not less than one week before the commencement of polling. All registered students of the University shall be eligible to vote and for election.

(f) The polling date shall be decided each year by the Registrar and Secretary and the President of the Students' Union, provided that the date is not less than four nor more than six weeks after the first day in the Autumn Term.

(g) Voting shall be by secret ballot on a system of single transferable vote with quota. There shall be at least one ballot box in each college. Students may vote at any ballot box on campus or by postal vote on application in writing to the Returning Officer. There shall be no voting by proxy. No person whose name does not appear on the Registrar and Secretary's list of registered students may vote, save on the production of written authorisation from the Registrar and Secretary.

i. Voting in person
Each student voting shall be required to identify himself/herself by producing his/her National Union of Students' card, and the card shall be marked to indicate that the student has voted in the election. In addition, the student's name shall be crossed off the relevant list of registered students.

ii. Postal Voting
Each student requiring a postal vote must apply in writing to the Returning Officer and identify himself/herself by quoting the number of his/her National Union of Students' card. A ballot paper and set of nomination forms will be despatched and the student's name crossed off the relevant list of registered students issued to those staffing college polling booths. Postal votes must be received by the Returning Officer before 7.30 pm on the night of the election.

(h) The Returning Officer shall arrange for the staffing of polling booths. No candidate, or proposer or seconder of any candidate, shall staff any polling booth.

(i) Polling shall not take place at a week-end. The hours of polling shall be 12 noon until 2pm and 6pm until 7.30pm.

(j) The count shall be performed by the Returning Officer in the presence of the candidates if they so desire, or of observers severally appointed by them, and in the presence of the Registrar and Secretary if he/she so desires, or an observer appointed by him/her. The Returning Officer may appoint assistants who shall not be candidates or proposers or seconders of candidates.

(k) Ballot boxes, which shall be lockable, shall be deposited in the porters' lodges between the hours of polling, and shall be opened only by the Returning Officer or his/her assistants at the time of the count.

(l) The results of the election shall be notified immediately by the Returning Officer to the Registrar and Secretary who shall arrange for them to be displayed for at least 48 hours after the election. The ballot papers shall be retained for 48 hours after each election, during which time they may be inspected by any member of the University.

(m) In the event of an undergraduate student member elected under Statute 12.1.k ceasing permanently to be a member of the Senate before the next election under (f) above, the electoral process described above shall, mutatis mutandis, be repeated as soon as shall be practical after the vacancy arises, in order that the full complement of members may be restored.

9.3 Election of graduate students to the Senate

The procedure for conducting the election of graduate students to the Senate shall be the same, mutatis mutandis, as for undergraduate students except that, instead of polling taking place in each college, polling shall take place at the Annual General Meeting of the Graduate Students' Association.

Regulations