2020 ELECTIONS ORGANIZER

aka Chief Returning Officer (CRO)

Timeline: Election related work takes place from beginning of March until end of March. 

Contract: $650 for up to a maximum of forty (40) hours of work

Deadline for Application: @ 11:59 pm on February 25th, 2020

Description of Responsibilities

• Meet with the Organizational Coordinator to review Elections Planning Binder and related documents.
• Work with the Organizational Coordinator to organize promotion/notification of the elections to our membership (both within the University of Guelph community and the broader Guelph community membership list. This is to include at minimum: an advertisement in the Ontarion (organized with the Organizational Coordinator), email notice to the OPIRG Guelph volunteer list, posting on relevant websites including Cannon.ca, and posters in the OPIRG Guelph office and in the University Centre)
• Work with the Organizational Coordinator to update the Candidate Profile Questions as needed (these need to be approved by the Board of Directors). Post the form in an accessible place in the office.
• Acquire from the Office Coordinator a list of people who have opted out of membership (students’ who have refunded their fees and are not eligible to vote)  —see bylaws for details.
• Acquire from the Office Coordinator a list of members (this is a list of people who have purchased/been granted a membership who are not the levy paying students). This should be done 1 week before the elections, when sale of memberships is suspended.
• Receive nomination forms (a box can be provided for forms to be dropped off in).
• Provide receipts to candidates by email.
• Phone and email the candidates/nominees to confirm their attendance/availability at the Candidate Orientation meeting.
• Organize and facilitate the Candidate Orientation meeting or meetings to explain the election guidelines and the election process. It is mandatory for all candidates/nominees to attend an Orientation meeting.
• Collect the mandatory Candidate Profiles from each candidate. Work with OPIRG Guelph staff to disseminate the profiles on our volunteer list and post on to the organizational web site.
• Ensure that the election guidelines and Candidate Information Package is updated and prepared for each candidate in advance of the Orientation meeting.
• Recruit poll clerks from OPIRG Guelph volunteer list as necessary. Send emails to the internal membership list. Arrange to train poll clerks. Provide training for poll clerks.
• Meet again with OPIRG Guelph staff and/or Board members to check in on process and to address any issues of concern.
• Update and approve the ballot form.
• Set up and open the polls on election day and ensure it is staffed.
• Where possible stay at the polling station all day or visit the polls regularly during voting period day and answer questions.
• Close the polls on election day, including tidying, filing and thanking poll clerks.
• Count ballots.
• Provide written and signed results that can be presented to the media, to the board of directors for ratification and kept on file.
• Create a final report on the nomination and election process, including recommendations for future elections.
• Attend the Annual General Meeting to present final report on elections.
• Attend any preceding or following Board of Directors meetings to discuss reports made regarding the elections.
• If necessary address any appeals filed in relation to the election process.

Qualifications and skills:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• General knowledge of OPIRG Guelph’s mandate and programs
• Time management and work organization skills
• Ability to take initiative in completing tasks
• Great attention to detail
• Aptitude for understanding and interpreting complex documents
• Experience promoting events on campus
• Willingness to ask for assistance when needed
• Participation in an OPIRG Guelph or similar anti-oppression training, an asset
• Some availability during our office hours Tuesday to Thursday 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM
• Must be available for interviews on February 26th or 27th, 2020
• Must be available to start on March 1st, 2020
• Must be available for elections the last week of March 2020

OPIRG Guelph welcomes the contributions that individuals from marginalized communities bring to our organization, and invites Indigenous people, people of colour, poor and working class people and those on social assistance, women, LGBTQI2S+ people; single parents, members of ethnic minorities, immigrants, people from non-academic backgrounds and people with disabilities to apply.

We encourage applicants to describe the contributions and experiences they would bring to the OPIRG Guelph in their cover letter. All applicants are asked for a brief statement on their views of power and oppression. We regret that our office is not currently wheelchair accessible.

How to apply:

Send a copy of your resume, cover letter and brief statement on power and oppression to: organizational@opirgguelph.org

Only PDF or Word documents will be accepted
Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.