Referendum Act

Section One: GENERAL

• A. Referenda may be initiated by Council or by students.<.li>
• B. Each referendum question will deal with only one issue.<.li>
• C. The Chief Returning Officer will ensure that all referendum questions are concise and clear, and, unless they are proposed amendments to the By-Laws, do not violate the By-Laws.<.li>
• D. Referenda are regularly held during the periods from the eighth (8th) of February to the fifteenth (15th) of March and from the eighth (8th) of October to the fifteenth (15th) of November.<.li> Council may define exceptional referendum periods by a two thirds (2/3) majority vote.<.li>
• E. Policies adopted by referenda shall be inscribed in the Union’s Policy Manual and shall not be amended by motion of Council for one (1) year.<.li>
• F. Quorum for all referenda shall be twenty percent (20%) of the membership.<.li>

Section Two: COUNCIL-INITIATED REFERENDA

• A. Any motion to place a question before the Union through a referendum must be presented as a written motion and signed by at least four (4) members of Council and distributed to all Council members at a meeting of Council. The motion shall then be put on the agenda of the next Council meeting at which time it will be discussed and voted upon. If passed, the question will be put to the membership during the following referendum period.
• B. The wording of the referendum question must be approved by Council no less than twenty-one (21) days prior to the beginning of the referendum vote.
• C. The majority necessary for the adoption of policies in a Council-initiated referendum shall be decided by Council on an issue-by-issue basis. A majority shall be either:
  • i. Fifty percent (50%) of voters plus one vote, or;
  • ii. Sixty percent (60%) of voters.
• D. If a majority is obtained in a Council-initiated referendum, the policy change proposed by the referendum shall be adopted immediately after the referendum result is declared official.

Section Three: STUDENT-INITIATED REFERENDA

• A. Any member of the Union may initiate a referendum by presenting a question to the Chief Returning Officer, who shall indicate within twenty-four (24) hours whether the proposed question respects the Constitution and By-Laws. The member must then collect on a petition, clearly stating the referendum question on the top of each page, the signatures of at least twenty percent (20%) of the Union’s membership. Any signatures shall be collected in the academic year in which the referendum is held.
• B. The member shall submit the completed petition to the Chief Returning Officer at least twentyone (21) days prior to the beginning of the referendum vote.
• C. Student-initiated referenda may not alter the composition of the Union’s staff or membership fees or other financial matters of the Union.
• D. The majority necessary for the adoption of policies proposed by a student-initiated referendum shall be fifty percent (50%) of voters plus one (1) vote.

Section Four: OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVES OF A REFERENDUM

• A. There can only be one (1) Official Representative For and one (1) Official Representative Against the proposed policy changes in each referendum question.
• B. Prior to being declared Official Representative, a Union member must make a $25.00 deposit to the CRO and sign a Letter of Intent. The Letter of Intent will be drafted by the CRO and shall indicate that as Official Representative, the Union member will comply with all regulations set forth in the Referenda Act, and he/she will be subject to disciplinary action should he/she violate any of these regulations.
• C. In a student-initiated referendum, the initiator of the referendum shall be the Official Representative For the proposed policy change. In a Council-initiated referendum, the Official Representative For the proposed policy change shall be any member of Council, chosen by a majority of Council.
• D. The first Union member to present a signed Letter of Intent and a $25.00 deposit to the CRO shall be the Official Representative Against the proposed policy change.

Section Five: CAMPAIGNING

• A. Within fourteen (14) days of the approval of the referendum question, the CRO shall hold an Official Representatives Meeting at which time the CRO and DCRO will outline the particular restrictions of the upcoming campaign.
• B. There shall be a period of active campaigning, which shall begin following the Official Representatives Meeting and which shall end at five PM (5:00 p.m.) two (2) calendar days before the referendum vote commences.
• C. Official representatives of a referendum must campaign according to the regulations outlined in Section Five of the Students’ Union Elections Act, with the following exception:
  • i. There shall be no Midnight Madness for a referendum vote. Members of the Chair’s office will not check all posters and publicity material prior to distribution. Official representatives of the referendum shall be responsible for ensuring that all posters and/or publicity material comply with the regulations outlined in Section Seven of the Students’ Union Elections Act. The CRO and DCRO will periodically check material for compliance with referendum regulations.
• D. Official representatives who violate campaign regulations shall be subject to the disciplinary action outlined in Section Eight of the Students’ Union Elections Act.

Section Six: POLLING PROCEDURES

• A. Preparation of the poll and polling for a referendum shall follow the procedure outlined in Sections Eleven and Twelve of the Students’ Union Elections Act.
• B. Any eligible voter, excluding official representatives of the referendum, the CRO, DCRO, Poll Clerks, Chair and Deputy Chair, is eligible to serve as scrutineer. All scrutineers shall be subject to all regulations outlined in Section Thirteen of the Students’ Union Elections Act.
• C. The ballot counting and the announcement of referendum results shall follow the procedures outlined in Sections Fourteen and Fifteen of the Students’