Position:
Chief Returning Office (CRO)
Reports To:
Board of Directors via the Board Chair
Supervision:
Deputy Returning Officer (DRO)
Term in Office:
January 1st 2015– April 30th 2015 (part-time)
Remuneration:
$1200 per election period
Closing Date:
Friday, November 28th, 2014, before 4:00pm (AST)
Position Summary:
The primary purpose of this position is (1) to facilitate the SMUSA election process on behalf of the SMUSA
Board of Directors and (2) to ensure that all elections, by-elections, plebiscites and referendums are
conducted in a professional manner. The Chief Returning Officer (CRO) will act as the impartial chief
administrator of all elections and referenda of the Saint Mary’s University Students’ Association and will
ensure that a fair democratic process exists and is upheld. Responsible to the Board of Directors and
reporting directly to the Chair, the CRO conducts the elections on behalf of the Board. The CRO will call the
election, open the nomination process, advertise the election to the membership, accept nominations,
conduct an all-candidates meeting, facilitate a candidates training session, organize a Presidential Debate,
monitor the campaigning period, set up the online ballot, open the polls, close the polls, tabulate and
announce the results, and complete a comprehensive report on the election process with
recommendations to the Board for following elections.
Qualifications / Knowledge / Skills / Experience:
1. Must be a registered SMU student and member of SMUSA.
2. Knowledge of the SMUSA governance system.
3. Thorough knowledge of the SMUSA Constitution, Policies and Procedures.
4. Very strong organizational, time management and interpersonal skills.
5. Ability to work well under pressure and meet constant deadlines.
6. Ability to work effectively and cooperatively with students, staff and stakeholders.
7. Strong work ethic and ability to work collaboratively with the Deputy Returning Officer.
8. Ability to resolve conflict in an effective and diplomatic manner.
9. Aptitude for accuracy and detail.
10. Bondable.
General Responsibilities:
1. Establish the elections schedule in accordance with the SMUSA Elections Policy.
2. Advertise elections, plebiscites and referenda through all effective means possible throughout the
campus.
3. Prepare nomination packages and call for nominations from the membership. Also determine the
available positions for the membership to seek during the election period.
4. Close nominations and verify that the nomination signatures are that of current students with the
Registrar.
5. Hold a mandatory meeting for all candidates to explain the election campaign rules.
6. Arrange for the SMUSA preferred photographer to take election photos of all candidates.
7. Coordinate a governance training session with the SMUSA governance consultant. This training
session is to be offered to all candidates during the election training week.
8. Organize a SMUSA Meet and Greet with the SMUSA Board of Directors, President, Vice Presidents
and Management. This to be offered to all candidates during the election training week.
9. Instruct all candidates to write up a bio of themselves and their platform to be published in the SMU
Journal for the first week of campaigning. Meet with the Editor in Chief of the Journal to secure the
election section for candidates.
10. Assess and authorize campaign materials according to the Board of Directors election policy.
Monitor campaign materials placed on campus and ensure that candidates are abiding by the
elections policy as well as the SMUSA poster policy.
11. Make reasonable efforts to have all candidates remove their campaign materials after the election
and to recycle all campaign material.
12. Notify the SMU Facilities Management Department that the election period is about to begin and
arrange a meeting to get an understanding of the poster guidelines.
13. Coordinate a Board of Directors Forum for all Board candidates to be held during the campaign
period. Forum to be held in a high traffic area or secure location where students can be invited to
attend. Event must be advertised for maximum student attendance.
14. Coordinate a Presidential Debate for all Presidential candidates to be held in the McNally Theatre
Auditorium or similar. Debate to be monitored by a Political Science Faculty member or
professional governance consultant. Event must be advertised for maximum student attendance.
15. Contact the on-line elections service provider (ivoteonline.com) and inform them that the election is
forthcoming and arrange to gain administrator access to the on-line platform.
16. Coordinate a meeting with the SMU ITSS Department at least three weeks in advance of the voting
days to inform them of the upcoming election period. Work with ITSS to ensure that the on-line
portal through SMUPort is updated and activated for the voting period.
17. Coordinate with the SMU Registrar’s Office so that the voting list is established and identify the total
number of eligible voters and quorum for any referendums. Gain confirmation from the Registrar’s
Office that the eligible voters list may be used for the on-line voting process and then inform ITSS
that permission has been granted.
18. Keep the Board, the student body and all election candidates informed of any issues arising that are
related to the election.
19. Must hold regularly scheduled office hours.
20. Work in collaboration with the DRO while delegating duties and supervise the Deputy Returning
Officer to ensure that the elections process is carried out in an effective and efficient manner.
21. The CRO, at her/his discretion, may request from the General Manager the support of a staff person
of the Students' Association to undertake any administrative function on her/his behalf. If
requested, the General Manager will act as the key liaison between the CRO and any staff member
as so requested for operational or logistical purposes only. All issues relating to election
campaigning, violations, or processes must be dealt with only by the CRO or the Election Appeals
Committee.
22. Ensuring that no person(s) have access to ballots or voter’s lists before the date of the election,
except for those person(s) involved in their creation.
23. Monitor the campaigns of each candidates, and ensuring that no candidate contravenes any
election policy.
24. Ensuring that all candidates are informed of the elections rules and possible penalties and that they
have full and fair access to the complaint/appeals resolution procedures as outlined in the election
policy.
25. Make rulings on candidate conduct and impose the necessary penalties as determined by the
elections policy. Penalties may include written warnings, fines, or expulsion from the election.
26. Inform the Election Appeals Committee of any and all rulings resulting in candidate penalty.
27. Consult with the Associations Solicitor on issues that are particularly sensitive.
28. Be present at Appeal Committee meetings.
29. Tabulate and announce the election results as unofficial to the SMUSA membership. Election results
become official once the Board of Directors ratifies the results.
30. Use the already established elections results template to archive the results.
31. Must work within the Elections budget confines.
32. Make a final report of the SMUSA election, referenda or plebiscite within two weeks of the date of
voting.
The job description of the CRO may be determined as conditions of employment and the terms within. The
CRO shall perform such additional duties as are assigned from time to time by the Chair of the Board.
Please apply via email to karla.hodge@smu.ca before 4:00 pm (AST) on Friday, November 28th, 2014.
Correspondence should be addressed to the SMUSA Hiring Committee with the subject line “SMUSA Chief
Returning Officer”. Applications must include a one page cover letter accompanied by a resume and contact
information including telephone numbers for three (3) references.
Any questions regarding this job posting may be addressed to Vishwa Bhayani, Chair of the SMUSA
Elections Committee, by email at vishwa.bhayani94@gmail.com
SMUSA is an equal opportunity employer. Thank you for your interest but only those candidates selected for
an interview will be contacted.