RYERSON ENGINEERING STUDENT SOCIETY - Candidate & Campaign Guidelines Elections 2019 2020
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RYERSON ENGINEERING STUDENT SOCIETY
Candidate & Campaign Guidelines
Elections 2019 – 2020
Eligibility of Candidates
Eligible candidates must be full time undergraduate engineering students enrolled in Ryerson University, and
must have clear academic standing or a conditional academic standing, as defined by the Faculty.
Presidential Candidates
Nominees for the President must have no less than one full year of experience on the RESS Board of Directors
and must have been enrolled in the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science for at least two years.
Vice-Presidential Candidates
Nominees for the positions of Vice-President Operations, Vice-President Student Life, Vice-President External,
Vice-President Corporate Relations, Vice-President Academic, and Vice-President Communications require one
full year experience on the Board of Directors, or other experience as deemed appropriate by the Board of
Directors.
Director Candidates
Directors must not be in their final year of study during the 2019-2020 school year. Potential candidates can be
exempt of this rule at the discretion of the RESS Board of Directors.
Slates/Teams
Candidates must not run with other candidates as a slate/team or imply that they are a part of a team/slate.
Campaign media should not imply a slate or team (e.g. similar colour, schemes, etc.)
Mandatory All-Candidates Meeting
A. All nominees, or an authorized representative of each nominee, must attend the All-Candidates
Meeting in its entirety, which will be held on the 25th of February at 6pm.
B. For an authorized representative to be valid, they must possess a signed statement from the
nominee that the representative has the authority to act on their behalf for the duration of the
meeting.
C. Any candidate who fails to attend or send an authorized representative to the All-Candidates
meeting, shall be disqualified from the election.
D. The topics at the all-candidates meeting shall include, but are not limited to:
i. The elections process established in the Elections Procedures and Candidate Guidelines.
ii. The elections schedule.
E. Each candidate, or authorized representative, will sign a statement before leaving the meeting that
indicates she or he understands the rules and regulations governing the election.
F. It is the responsibility of each candidate to understand all information provided at the Mandatory
All-Candidates meeting.
1RYERSON ENGINEERING STUDENT SOCIETY
Candidate & Campaign Guidelines
Elections 2019 – 2020
Campaigning
A. Campaigning may only take place after 12:00AM (EST) on February 27th, 2019.
B. Any current member of the Board of Directors, committee member, chair, appointed position,
and/or volunteer who decides to run for an elected position shall disassociate from all areas of
their position relating to the Elections from the commencement of the nomination period.
C. Campaigning includes posters, leaflets, banners, websites, social media, publications, classroom
talks, and events. The Candidate guidelines outline the acceptable forms of campaigning and
failure to observe these regulations can result in sanctions, demerit points and potentially
disqualification.
D. It is the responsibility of the Candidates that all campaign materials and/or advertisements,
conform to all policies and regulations of RESS, the University, and with all municipal, provincial,
and federal laws.
E. All printed campaign materials must first be approved and stamped/signed by the CRO prior to
their copying and distribution. Posting material that is not approved is a violation of the campaign
rules. Candidates should account for a 48-hour turn-around for the material approvals and are
encouraged to plan ahead.
F. Campaign materials shall not:
i. Overlap or be attached to a campaign material already affixed to something.
ii. Be posted in classrooms, seminar rooms, or labs
iii. Be removed from any posted location, legal or illegally, without the authorization of the
CRO, except a candidate’s own materials removed by that candidate or person(s)
authorized by that candidate to remove such material.
G. Restrictions regulating campaigning, that are unique to the following, shall be followed. It is the
responsibility of the candidates to familiarize themselves with the different rules that govern each
of the aforementioned items:
i. No campaigning of any form is permitted in the RESS Office (KHE123) or any area that can
be perceived to be under the jurisdiction of the RESS Office (KHE123) unless otherwise
stated by the CRO.
ii. Campaigning is not allowed in Kerr Hall East in the area bordered by the outside doors to
the left and right of the RESS Office (KHE123) door.
iii. Campaigning within a classroom is forbidden without the expressed permission of its
presiding faculty member(s). To campaign in a classroom, a candidate must obtain consent
from the professor/lecturer before the start of the class.
iv. Campaigning is not allowed in the Library and the Student Learning Center.
v. Campaigning is not allowed within computer labs.
H. Candidates are not entitled to use in the campaign, any service or monies, conferred onto them by
virtue of holding any position in any campus organization unless such services would still be
available to them otherwise. This includes, but is not limited to, office supplies, equipment,
advertising space and staff.
I. Student clubs and course unions may endorse but not financially support a candidate.
2RYERSON ENGINEERING STUDENT SOCIETY
Candidate & Campaign Guidelines
Elections 2019 – 2020
J. No candidate will be permitted to use either the RESS logo/cress, the RyEng Diamond, or the
Ryerson University logo/crest on their campaign material. Non-adherence will result in the
immediate removal of materials plus demerit points or disqualification.
Poster Regulations
A. Poster size shall not exceed 11” x 17” (tabloid size)
B. Candidates for executive positions will be allowed no more than two (2) banners not to exceed 3ft
(0.92) x 9ft (2.75m), and all other positions one such banner.
C. All text in other languages on campaign materials must have an accurate English translation of
readable size (as determined by the CRO) that appears on the poster.
D. Posters may not be printed, created, or displayed in the RESS Office (KHE123).
Volunteers
A. Candidates are not limited in whom they can have assisting them during their campaigning.
B. All volunteers are expected to comply with the Election Procedures document and the Candidate
Guidelines document.
C. Misconduct of volunteers may not only have repercussions for the individual involved and may
also result in demerit points or disqualification for the candidate represented.
Electronic media
A. Electronic media may be used for campaigning as long as no campaigning is done through means
of sending mass electronic mail. This is to ensure that mass, unwanted communications are not
received by those who may not want to receive this information
B. Email - Candidates may campaign through email if they have obtained a constituent’s consent.
Constituents that signed up must have the option to opt out of the listserv at any point.
C. Websites - Candidates will be allowed to set up a campaign website whose content must be
approved by the CRO prior to becoming publicly visible. Candidates are responsible for all
material posted on the site and will be held responsible should the material contravene any of
these procedures. The website cannot request email addresses.
D. Social Media: Candidates are permitted to use all social media platforms to campaign. Candidates
must disclose all campaigning platforms to the CRO. The CRO has the right to follow any and all
accounts used for the purposes of campaigning in this election. All posts should contain the
hashtag #RESSelection2019
E. Facebook – Candidates will be allowed to set up Facebook groups/pages whose content must be
approved by the CRO prior to becoming publicly visible. Candidates are responsible for any and all
dynamic material posted on these groups and will be held responsible should the material
contravene these procedures. Messages sent to members of the group are considered a violation
of the electronic emailing rule.
F. Twitter – Twitter messages do not constitute electronic mail as “followers” choose to follow your
posts.
3RYERSON ENGINEERING STUDENT SOCIETY
Candidate & Campaign Guidelines
Elections 2019 – 2020
G. Instagram: Candidates are not allowed to campaign using Instagram accounts that are private.
Candidates may use their own personal Instagram accounts for campaigning purposes if the
account is public, or they may create a public account specifically for campaigning purposes. The
CRO has the right to follow any and all accounts used for the purposes of campaigning in this
election. Candidates are responsible for any and all Instagram posts aimed at the electorate and
will be held responsible should the content contravene any of the policies outlined in the policy
manual or election procedures.
Campaign Financing
A. Student groups and course unions shall not endorse or financially support a candidate.
B. Campaign expenses shall not exceed $30.00 for each Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidate.
C. Campaign expenses shall not exceed $20.00 for each Discipline Director candidate.
D. Any candidate who exceeds the expense limit by more than five per cent (5%) shall be disqualified
by the CRO. Disqualification may be appealed only to the Elections Committee whose decision
shall be considered final and binding.
E. Alcoholic beverages will not be considered a legitimate campaign expense. Candidates who
attempt to use alcoholic beverages to influence the campaign and/or elections, as determined by
the Elections Committee, will be disqualified.
F. Each candidate shall submit a form outlining all campaign expenses with original receipts for
verification to the CRO by 12pm on Friday, March 8 th. The CRO may at any time request from any
of the candidate’s original receipts for expenditure prior to the close of voting. Failure by a
candidate to submit a campaign expense form and original receipts by the deadline may result in
disqualification upon the discretion of the CRO.
G. All campaign donations must be brought to the attention of the CRO and included in the campaign
expense report to be submitted by each candidate. Donated materials shall be assigned a dollar
value based on current market value by the CRO and shall be calculated as a campaign expense.
Violation of Campaign Rules
A. The CRO shall have the sole authority to administer the provisions of the Election Procedures and
Candidate Guidelines.
B. The CRO reserves the right to make rulings on issues and events not otherwise covered in these
guidelines, or to add such rulings to supplement existing sections.
C. Allegations of violations of the Election Procedures or Candidate Guidelines shall be submitted to
the CRO in writing. Such allegations must be made within forty-eight (48) hours after the incident
occurred.
D. The CRO may lay charges of violations of campaign rules at her/his/their own initiative.
E. The CRO shall render a decision within forty-eight (48) hours in writing to the candidate(s) in
question and the complainant, unless the complaint is time sensitive, in which case the CRO shall
render a decision within one (1) business day. A complaint is deemed time-sensitive when the
4RYERSON ENGINEERING STUDENT SOCIETY
Candidate & Campaign Guidelines
Elections 2019 – 2020
activity outlined in the complaint are ongoing. All rulings of the CRO shall be done in a fair and
consistent manner.
F. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ascertain her/his/their position with respect to
decisions made by the CRO regarding alleged violations committed by the candidate.
G. Regarding penalties for violations the CRO may:
a. Assign a demerit point penalty.
b. Assign multiple penalties where the violation encompasses more than one offence.
c. Declare that an election of a candidate be ruled void.
H. Violations of the following nature will result in an automatic disqualification of a candidate:
a. Anyone improperly declared an eligible candidate.
b. Failure to attend the All-Candidates Meeting
c. Any candidate spending over the maximum spending limit as outlined in the Elections
Procedures.
d. Intentional misrepresentation of campaign expenditures
e. A candidate accruing greater than one-hundred (100%) per cent of their allowable demerit
point limit as follows is disqualified:
i. Executive Candidates………………5
ii. Director Candidates………………...5
f. In the event a winning candidate in any election is disqualified, the runner-up will take the
place of the disqualified winner.
Campaigning and Election Complaints
It is within the rights of all candidates and RESS members to file complaints for perceived violations to the
Elections Procedures and Candidate Guidelines.
A. All election related complaints regarding the conduct of another candidate or the person acting on
behalf of a candidate must be filed formally, in writing format to the CRO. Once received, the CRO
will conduct an investigation and make a ruling regarding the matter.
B. Decisions impacting all candidates will be posted publicly, while decisions only impacting the
individual making an inquiry will not.
C. If a candidate is unsatisfied with a formal decision involving disqualification and/or demerit
points, this can be appealed to the Elections Committee.
Demerit Point System
A. All candidates are afforded demerit points, taking into consideration good faith errors.
a. All parties participating in this election, whether as candidates or volunteers are expected
to be familiar with the Election Procedures and Candidate Guidelines.
b. Infraction by either candidates or volunteers will be dealt with equal consequence. An
infraction by a volunteer could result in demerit points or disqualification of all candidates
represented by that person.
5RYERSON ENGINEERING STUDENT SOCIETY
Candidate & Campaign Guidelines
Elections 2019 – 2020
B. All candidates and their representatives are strongly cautioned against committing any of the
following as these will result in immediate disqualification:
a. Harassment of candidates, RESS members, volunteers, or any other community member.
b. Alleged misconduct should not and cannot be dealt with by the candidate or representative.
Instead, complaints should be immediately directed to the CRO, or, depending on the
misconduct, to Campus Security or Police.
c. Making threats to candidate, or intimidating voters.
d. Racist, sexist, homophobic or offensive language.
e. Libel, slander, and gross misrepresentation of other candidates. This does not bar a
candidate from voicing an opinion on a matter, however matter represented as substantive
or factual must have a basis in fact and must be in accordance with the general spirit of the
code of conduct.
C. Candidates are strongly encouraged to engage their campaigning in a clean, positive and good
faith manner. Demerit points will be issues at the discretion of the CRO with consideration to
severity and frequency of infractions upon their investigation and verification. Candidates are
encouraged to contact the CRO about a practice they are unsure about.
D. Examples of Permissible and Non-Permissible campaigning practices are outlined in Appendix A.
Elections Committee
A. The Elections Committee is an independent, volunteer body, made up of the CRO, two RESS
members, and the Manager, Student Engagement & Development.
B. What decisions can be brought before the Elections Committee?
a. Only formal decisions involving disqualification and/or demerit points can be appealed to
the Elections Committee by a candidate in the election.
b. The Elections Committee will convene a meeting within 3 business days of a receipt of
appeal. At the said meeting, the appellant will have the opportunity to address the
committee; the committee may at its discretion invite other individuals to the meeting.
C. How are appeals considered?
a. Prompted by a formal, written appeal to the CRO requesting an appeal of the decision made
by the CRO, a meeting of the Elections Committee will be called.
b. Candidates may NOT attempt to contact members of the Elections Committee directly.
c. At the invitation of the CRO or the Elections Committee, anyone with relevant information
can make a presentation.
d. If a party fails to appear before the committee, they forfeit their right to appear before the
committee again on that matter.
D. How does the Elections Committee make and communicate a decision?
a. The motion before the Committee will be to overturn the CRO’s decision, on which
members will vote either yes (to overturn) or no (to uphold the decision).
b. Following the meeting, the Elections Committee shall render a decision within 24 hours.
6RYERSON ENGINEERING STUDENT SOCIETY
Candidate & Campaign Guidelines
Elections 2019 – 2020
c. Once the Elections Committee makes a decision, it will be final and not open to be appealed
again. The Elections Committee will ensure detailed reasons are given when decisions are
made.
Voting Days
Online voting will take place on March 4th, 5th, and 6th (2019). Campaigning can occur on voting days
but candidates and their representatives may not campaign in the vicinity between the outside doors on
the left hand side and right hand side of the RESS Office (KHE123). Any indication of campaigning in or
near the RESS Office (KHE123) will result in demerit points
7RYERSON ENGINEERING STUDENT SOCIETY
Candidate & Campaign Guidelines
Elections 2019 – 2020
APPENDIX A
Examples of Permissible and Non-Permissible Campaign Practices:
Permissible Not Permissible
Speaking to students Interrupting other candidates while they are
speaking to students.
Asking questions to the RESS Board of Directors Disrespecting or mistreating members of the
or other RESS volunteers. RESS Board of Directors or other RESS
volunteers.
Removing, modifying or replacing your own Removing, modifying or replacing another
approved election materials. candidate’s approved election materials.
Making editorial comments or giving opinions Accusing candidates of actions or views that are
about issues and events, positions and actions of not proven; slandering the character of other
other candidates. candidates, members of the RESS Board of
Directors, or RESS volunteers.
Beginning to campaign immediately upon the Campaigning prior to the commencement of the
start of the campaign period. campaign period.
Persuading members for their vote. Remunerating someone for their vote.
Creative campaigning. Spending more than the permitted amount;
involving alcohol in your campaign.
Responding to emails sent regarding your Sending out unsolicited emails or electronic
campaign. messages of any type or through any medium.
Asserting your rights as a candidate and file Repeated and frivolous complaints against
complaints as necessary. another candidate.
Campaigning during voting. Campaigning within the restricted vicinity (the
area between the outside doors on the left hand
side and right hand side of the RESS Office
(KHE123)).
Speaking to the media about your campaign. Bringing unverified election complaints to the
media.
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