Student Senate ElectionsProtocols

Criteria forCandidateParticipation/ApplicationProcess

As a Board, weare committed to ensuringfairness, equityand inclusion as essential

principles thatare integrated into allof our policies, procedures, operations and programs and thatallof our students areprovided with equitableopportunities in our system. Therefore, schools are required to supportcandidatesby ensuring equityof access and opportunityto participatein the elections, reflecting the contribution of our diverse communityof students.

i.Schoolsmustadheretotheelectionsapplicationdeadline(ascommunicatedinSystem

Leaders’Bulletin).No application packages sent after thedeadlinewillbeconsidered. ii.Schools can send amaximum of three (3)students (candidates, delegates or a

combination ofthe two (2)).

iii.It is the responsibilityoftheindividualschool’s administrationto short-list/select the three (3)students. (Onlythree (3)Votingmembers are allowed per school).

iv.Criteria forcandidates mayinclude: leadership experiencewithin and beyond the school community, time commitment availabilityto theStudent Senate.

v.Candidatesmustbeawarethatparticipationon Student Senateisaserioustime commitmentandthatparticipationonStudent Senatemustnotplaceinjeopardy the candidate’sacademicstanding.

vi.The elections application packageshall be made available and sent to schools the first week of April.

vii.The elections application packageshall include the application deadline, thedate for the AllCandidates meeting,the approval process anddeadlines forthe poster and speech and the campaigningtimeline.

Student Trustee Application Process

i. Applicants for the position of Student Trustee must take part in an interview process. The interview panel will be made up of an Executive Superintendent and Staff Advisors (Principals and/or Vice Principals). This interview process will be conducted before the official campaigning date.

ii.Only successful Student Trustee applicants (shortlisted from the interview process) will be permitted to run in the Student Senate Elections.

All Candidates Meeting

i.Oncethecandidates havebeen selected andapproved bytheir schools, thecandidates

mustattend the mandatoryAllCandidates meetingto beheld at acentral location as outlined in the elections application package.

ii.Candidates who miss this meetingwillnot be allowed to runin the elections unless thereis an extenuatingcircumstancethat preventsthem from attending.

iii.This circumstancemustbe communicated in writingto theStaff Advisorsin advance ofthe meeting.

iv.Ifthe circumstanceis indeed determinedto be extenuatingbytheStaff Advisors, the student will be allowed to participatein the elections and arrangements willbemade for candidates to receiveallinformation that was shared at theAll Candidates meeting.

Campaigning andtheApproval Processes forPosters and Speeches

i.All candidate’s posters and speeches must beapproved byStaffAdvisors beforethey

are beusedas part of their campaign.

ii.Thedeadlineforthecandidate’sposterwillbeapproximatelythree(3)weeks beforetheElections’Day (timelines permitting) onaspecificdaydeterminedeachyear,asoutlinedinthe elections application package.

iii.Oncethe poster has beenapproved byStaff Advisors candidatesarethen allowed to campaign on aspecific launch dayas indicated in theelections application package.

iv.Approved posters maynot be modified and/or altered in anyway.

v.Candidates cannot makepromises theyareunableto keep or add to their platform once approved bya Staff Advisor.

vi.Onlyapproved posters and campaign platforms areallowed onFacebookor anysocial mediasites. No bannersor additional graphics/pictures (other thanapproved posters) can beposted on socialmediasites.

vii.Ifcandidates areusingsocial media forcampaigningthe links or pages should be available upon request from Staff Advisors.

viii.Campaigningofficiallyends on social media platforms by12:00 (midnight) thedaybefore elections includingthe sharingof social mediacontent byothers.

ix.Ifanycandidateis unsureof how to conduct themselves duringcampaigningor onthe dayof the elections theyshould consult with StaffAdvisors immediately.

ElectionsDay Expectations

  1. Elections are facilitated byStaff Advisors with the leadership ofthe Elections Committee. (Students who make up this committee will not be running for a position.)

ii.Candidates areexpectedto arriveto the event location one (1)hourpriortothe start of the conference.

iii.Candidates areexpectedto dress in aneat and professional manner.

iv.Candidates aretodemonstrate respect and integrityatalltimes.

v.Candidates must run independentlyforeach position as a single candidate.

vi.Candidates must notspeak negativelyabout theother candidates, delegatesorschools.

vii.Students who wish to campaign for thecandidates must adhereto thesameguidelines and standardsand be consistent with the values andexpectations of TDSBstudents.

viii.Theuse of props,enhancements, and/or additionalsupports (such as friend/delegate)isnot permitted as part ofacandidate’s speech or atanytime on thedayof the conference.

ix.No buttons or other campaigningpropscan bedistributed on the dayof theElections’ Conference.

x.Each school mayonlyhavethree(3)votingmembers on thedayof theelections.

xi.Candidates who run forExecutivepositions andareunsuccessful mayrunfor aLearning Centre Co-Chair orSecretaryposition lateron in the afternoon ofthe Elections.

xii.Delegates mayalso run for positions of Learning Centre Co-Chair and Secretaryat theElections.

xiii.Parents who wish to attend maydo so, but theycannot participatein thevotingprocess.

xiv.Staff Advisors who wish to attend may do so, but they cannot participate in the voting process.

Procedures for MorningStudent SenateElections

The followingStudent SenateExecutivepositionsareelected in the morning:

  • 1 President
  • 1 Vice-President
  • 1 Secretary/Treasurer
  • 1 Communications Officer
  • 1 ConferenceChair
  • 1 Student Trustee– Student must currently be in Grade10 or 11
  1. Thevotingprocess is supervised byStaff Advisors.
  2. All candidates arrive at 8:00 am for registration.
  3. Candidates are expected to dress in a neat and professional manner.
  4. Thespeechorderisdetermined byStaffAdvisorsbylotteryone(1) daybeforetheElections Conference inorder tocoordinateAV/Techsupport(i.e.slide showofcampaignposters, clicker set-upforvoting).
  5. Theseatingplan for candidates isarranged bytheStaff Advisors themorningof the Elections day.
  6. All candidates areregistered priorto thedayof Elections through theprocess of application as outlinedin theElections ConferenceRegistration Package.
  7. There areno nominations from the floor (i.e. last-minute nominations) on Elections day.
  8. Each Student Trustee candidate has a maximum of three (3) minutes for their speech (which has been pre-approved by the Staff Advisor by a specific deadline). The Student Trustee candidates with the highest and second highest votes will deliver a second speech that is a maximum of two (2) minutes in length (which has been pre-approved by the Staff Advisor by a specific deadline) to the delegates. A second vote for Student Trustee will then be conducted to determine the winner (highest number of votes).
  9. All other Executive candidates (President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer, Communications Officerand ConferenceChair) haveamaximum of two (2) minutes fortheir speech (which has been pre-approved bythe StaffAdvisor byaspecificdeadline).
  10. The candidate for President, Vice-President, Communications Officer, Secretary/Treasurer, or Conference Chair with the highest number of votes is determined the winner.
  11. There is no debate on any issues between candidates or questions from the floor by delegates or audience members.
  12. Each position is voted on immediately after the speeches have been delivered by the candidates.
  13. A maximum of three (3) voting delegates per school is allowed to vote.
  14. Clear instructions regarding the voting process for both the morning and afternoon Elections will be explicitly communicated and reiterated for everyone (candidates, delegates, audience members and Staff Advisors). Clickers are used to conduct the voting tabulation.
  15. Staff Advisors will oversee and manage the voting/clicker process.
  16. In the event that a problem arises as a result of either a technical glitch (an inherent risk when dealing with technology) or a human error, the Staff Advisors will reset the program and a revote will be conducted to ensure a transparent and fair process.
  17. In the event of a tie, the candidates involved in this tie, will each have a maximum of one(1) minute to deliver a speech. Another vote will then be conducted to determine the winner.
  18. Candidates are also permitted to vote for the position that they are running for as well as all other positions.
  19. Successful candidates will be determined by Staff Advisors and announced after lunch.

Procedures forAfternoonStudent SenateElections

The followingStudent SenateExecutivepositionsareelected in theafternoon:

  • 1 AlternativeSchoolsRepresentativefor allLearning Centres
  • 2 Co-Chairs per Learning Centre
  • 1 SecretaryperLearning Centre
  • 1 Grade7/8 Representativeper Centre

1. Part A– One(1)Alternative SchoolsRepresentative forallLearning Centres (before the end oflunch)

  1. Thevotingprocess is supervised bythe StaffAdvisors.
  2. Candidates who werenotsuccessful in the morningelections canrun fortheAlternativeSchools Representative position,if theywish.
  3. Anystudents wishingtorun forthis position can self-nominate.
  4. Thespeech order is determined bythe Staff Advisors oncestudents self- nominate forthe position.
  5. There areno opportunities forstudents to debate or ask questions of the candidates.
  6. Each candidatehas one (1) minute fortheirspeech.
  7. Beforereconvening afterlunch, allAlternativeSchool delegates cometogether to listen to theAlternativeSchools Representativecandidates’speeches.
  8. Clear instructions regardingthe votingprocess forboth themorningand afternoonelections will be explicitlycommunicated and reiterated for everyone(candidates, delegates,audiencemembers and staff advisors).
  9. Delegates vote immediatelyafter thespeeches havebeen delivered bythe candidates andthewinner is announced to thegroup.
  10. Thesuccessful candidates aredetermined bythe numberof votes.

2. Part B –Learning Centre (1, 2,34)Elections(afterlunch)

  • 2 Learning Centre Co-Chairs perLearning Centre
  • 1 Learning Centre SecretaryperLearning Centre
  • 1 Grade7/8 Representativeper Learning Centre
  1. Forthe AfternoonElections, students who areunsuccessful in runningforCo-Chairs, willthen havethe opportunityto run for theposition ofSecretary. Any Grade6 or7 students, who areunsuccessful in runningforSecretary, willthen havethe opportunityto run for theposition ofGrade7/8 Representative. Ballots willbeused forthe Learning Centre positions (AfternoonElections). Students (including the candidates) will havethe opportunityto vote for Learning Centre Co-Chairs, Secretary, and Grade7/8 Representative. Forthe positions of Co-Chairs, students (includingthecandidates) have an opportunitytovote fortwo (2)candidates. For the positions of Secretaryand Grade7/8 Representative, students can cast only one (1)vote foreach.
  2. Anystudents wishingtorun for anyof thepositions listed above can self- nominate in the individual Learning Centre group elections.
  3. Candidates can onlyrunon an individual platform and arenot permitted to run in tandem or as part of a block candidacywith another candidate.
  4. Thespeech order is determined byStaffAdvisorsoncestudents self- nominate forthe different positions.
  5. There areno opportunities forstudents to debate or ask questions of the candidates.
  6. Each candidatehasamaximum of one (1) minute fortheirspeech.
  7. Each position is voted on immediatelyafter thespeeches havebeen delivered bythecandidates andthe winner is announced to thegroup
  8. Unsuccessfulcandidatesareeligibleto run for anotherposition at that time. (eg. Candidates whoare not successful fortheLearning Centre Co-Chairs can chooseto run forthe Secretaryposition.)
  9. Thesuccessful candidates aredetermined bythe numberof votes.
  10. ForLearning Centre Co-Chairs, delegates (including the candidates running for this position) have an opportunity to vote for two (2) Learning Centre Co-Chairs – the first vote will be cast for one (1) Learning Centre Co-Chair in Round One (candidate with the highest vote wins), the second vote will be cast for the second Learning Centre Co-Chair in Round Two (candidate with the highest vote wins).
  11. Candidates arealso permitted to vote forthe position that theyare running for as wellas all other positions.

Equitable Practices andPossibleConflicts ofInterest

  1. Candidates who areparticipatingin theelectionsmaynot beamember ofthe Student SenateElections ConferencePlanningCommittee.
  2. Should theElections ConferenceChair be running foraposition, the Conference Chair shallnot be the Emcee of the Elections Day.
  3. NoStudent SenateExecutiveorstudentparticipatingontheElections’Committeeshallbe privy totheCandidatesListorDelegatesListatany timebefore,afterorduringthe Elections.
  4. The candidatespeakingorder and seatingwillbedetermined byStaff Advisors througha lottery.
  5. Candidates willbeinformed oftheirspeakingorder and seatingon thedayoftheElections.

Violations ofthe Student SenateElectionsProtocols

  1. Distribution ofharmful/hateful material
  2. Distribution ofmaterials contraryto thepoliciesand procedures of theToronto DistrictSchool Boardandapplicable legislation and caselaw.
  3. Distributingcampaign materials on thedayof theElections
  4. Wilfullydamagingthe integrityof theStudent Senate Elections’ process
  5. Participation in anyactions thatare contraryto thespirit ofa fair election process
  6. Participatingin actions that arecontraryto theStudent SenateElections’Protocols
  7. FailuretoabidewithanyoftheStudent SenateElections’processesandexpectations, uptoandincludingtheday oftheelectionsmayresultindisqualificationofthe candidatebyStaffAdvisors in consultation with theDirector and appropriatestaff.