ERB Rules and Guidelines 2020
(Please Retain for Reference)
It is the responsibility of each candidate and their campaign team to read the regulations in full, ensure they are adhered to and to seek clarification where required, by emailing suelections@ul.ie
In addition to Constitutional Requirements, the Electoral and Referenda Board has put in place by-laws and regulations for the elections. Some constitutional elements have been highlighted here as well as other regulations for the duration of these elections.
Candidates and their campaign team members must obey all instructions from the ERB. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary procedure.
1 Nomination Details
1.1 Candidates Name: The students’ registered name with the University of Limerick.i(See end note)
1.2 All proposers and seconders must be registered as current students of the University of Limerick
1.3 Nominations open 9th of March (Week 7) 2020 at 12pm, midday.
1.4 Nominations close 23rd of March (Week 9) 2020 at 5pm.
1.5 A Refundable deposit of €50 (Fifty euro) is required to process the nomination.
1.6 The deposit is only refundable on the day immediately after polling to each candidate given that, in the opinion of the Returning Officer, the candidate has run a genuine campaign, abided by the rules and guidelines and all their election material has been disposed of correctly.
1.7 A nomination form is considered complete by submitting the following to the Returning Officer / the Student Life Reception. Please ensure that you receive a written receipt.
1.7.1 Completed nomination forms
1.7.2 €50 (Fifty euro) deposit
1.7.3 Completed manifesto hardcopy and softcopy (PDF) emailed to suelections@ul.ie
1.7.4 A softcopy of candidate’s headshot photograph on a white background which they wish to be put on the ballot page. The candidates face must not be obscured.
1.8 Candidates must submit their final manifesto (pdf) and headshot photograph (jpg format) via email to suelections @ul.ie by close of nomination Monday 23rd of March (Week 9) 2020 at 5pm.
1.9 Completed nomination packs may only be handed into the Student Life Reception or the PSU Office during the standard office hours 9pm-5pm: Monday 9 – 23 March 2020.
2 Campaign Meeting to outline Rules (All must attend)
2.1 A meeting of all Candidates and their Campaign Managers shall take place in the Students’ Union Meeting Room on Tuesday 24th of March (Week 9) at Noon. Failure to attend will result in ERB action.
3 Election Details (How the election will be run)
3.1 The online election shall take place on 2nd of April (Week 10) 7am – 7pm.
3.2 Due to online voting, all computer labs on campus will be considered polling stations and therefore subject to the PSU Constitution governance. Campaigning of any kind is strictly prohibited within 10 meters of University computer labs.
3.3 If there is an internet outage on campus on election-day that is >30min, the ERB may extend the election deadline to correspond with the outage time.
3.4 The Returning Officer has the authority to delay declaring election results until such time as all election material has been disposed of correctly.
3.5 On election day the candidate or their campaign team are not allowed to hand someone a laptop, iPad, tablet, phone or any device to vote on. Voting is a private act where you cannot stand beside someone while they cast their vote.
4 Campaigning Rules and Regulations
4.1 Campaign material must display the constitutionally prescribed “Issued by (Name of Campaign Manager), Campaign Manager for (Name of Candidate)”. Any material without the constitutionally prescribed “Issued by (Name of Campaign Manager), Campaign Manager for (Name of Candidate)” shall be immediately removed from circulation. This includes all social media forums. Campaign Cups must be marked to indicate which campaign team issued them but do not need the “Issued by (Name of Campaign Manager), Campaign Manager for (Name of Candidate)”.
4.2 All social media pages and posts must also follow this format in the Bio section. “All posts issued by (Name of Campaign Manager), Campaign Manager for (Name of Candidate)”
4.3 Normal UL and PSU Postering Policy apply. However, posters do not need to be stamped by the PSU or Student Life. Electioneering posters are therefore exempt of a PSU or Student Life stamp requirement to be placed on notice boards. Posters that are not on an official notice board or in a prohibited area will be taken down and will count as a first strike for ERB.
UL Buildings and Estates Signage & Campaigning Rules
4.4 No signage is permitted outside entrances to University – see appendices for maps for where signs can be placed. Sign stakes must not be more than 1ft deep in the ground. (4.5) Signage is permitted along main road for week of election only.
4.5 Signs must be removed by end of day of election, 2nd of April.
4.6 Signage cannot obstruct line of sight of pedestrians, vehicle drivers and cyclists.
4.7 Signage cannot be erected on any structure, except on official notice boards. Signs are not to be erected on tree, plants shrubbery.
4.8 Stickers on UL infrastructure are strictly prohibited and may result in fines from the UL Buildings & Estates Department.
4.9 Blue tack or white tack use on walls is prohibited and may result in fines from UL Buildings and Estates.
Campaigning
4.10 At no point can candidates seek or tell people to vote for them in the election until after the meeting with the returning officer, failure to abide by this will result in disciplinary action from the ERB.
4.11 Campaigning must not interfere with lectures
4.12 Campaigning must not interfere with traffic on, entering of leaving campus
4.13 Candidates will be responsible for any littering of the campus from leaflets disposed on the ground and erected in unofficial areas
4.14 Campaigning within the library building and 5m outside the library door is prohibited.
4.15 A softcopy of all promotional materials (posters, flyers, manifesto summaries, Facebook & website pages or any electronic material etc.) must be submitted to suelections@ul.ie for approval by the ERB. Candidates can appeal the returning officer’s decisions to the ERB via the Chair of the ERB, Colin Lynch.
4.16 The Election Material can be submitted for approval to the ERB at any point after the open of nominations but no campaign material can be distributed until Tuesday, 24th of March – after the candidates and campaign managers meeting.
4.17 Approved social media pages may only be published publically after the meeting with the Returning Officer on Tuesday 24th of March. Any candidate who is in breach of this regulation shall be subject to sanction by the Returning Officer.
4.18 Chalking of UL walkways by candidate’s campaign teams will only be permitted if there are less than 10 candidates running in the three elections, if there are 10 or more candidates chalk is not permitted to be used. Chalking of building walls and pillars is strictly prohibited.
4.19 The Union electoral assistance for the two fulltime PSU Sabbatical Officer positions: President and Vice President Academic Research, PSU elections, will be a maximum of €50 electoral funding assistance per person on a vouched expenses only basis. Electoral funding will only be given in arears on a vouched receipt basis. Refunds will be by electronic bank transfer only. Candidates must supply bank details via email.
4.20 Campaigning or postering by campaign teams is not allowed within the PSU and/or Student Life building this also includes any PSU/Student Life Facebook pages/Social Media Sites or Information Screens. This is to allow for impartiality of the Unions.
4.21 Campaign posters may not be installed/placed on the River Shannon islands.
4.22 Any untrue, defamatory election material is prohibited. If a candidate and/or their campaign team is found to have published defamatory material, they must remove it immediately, publish a correction and give a genuine apology subject to ERB approval. The ERB requires the correction to be published in such manner as will ensure that it is communicated to all or substantially all of those persons to whom the defamatory statement was published.
4.23 Candidates and their campaign team may not distribute any food items within the Red Raisins confines.
4.24 Any candidate/union member/lecturer/person sending email(s), as a candidate or on behalf of a candidate, to the UL Microsoft Outlook distribution list(s) will be considered in breach of the University’s Email Policy (entitled the ‘Code of Conduct for Users of the University of Limerick’s Computing Resources’). No emails are to be sent by any student promoting a candidate to any student with a @studentmail.ul.ie or @ul.ie account. This includes asking people to email on your behalf. Class Reps will lose their email privileges if they email their classes endorsing any candidate.
4.25 It is an offence for a candidate to be in receipt of sponsorship, gifts or benefit-in-kind from vested commercial and/or political interests.
4.26 Current Executive Officers not contesting an election may not campaign for any candidate and must remain impartial.
4.27 Candidates must not breach the University’s Code of Conduct or Limerick County Council’s bylaws; if a candidate breaches the code of conduct the ERB shall initiate the board’s disciplinary powers.
4.28 The PSU logo, UL Logo or any other logos issued by the PSU or the Electoral & Referendum Board may not be included in campaign material.
4.29 All campaign issues and concerns should be addressed to suelections@ul.ie or through the PSU and any issues on Election Day should be addressed to the designated representative from the ERB through the PSU Office. The ERB will only deal with written or emailed formal complaints.
5 R.O.N. Campaign
5.1 If a student wishes to run a R.O.N campaign, in the interest of fairness they must fill out the declaration form to act as a campaign manager for R.O.N.
5.2 R.O.N. material cannot be defamatory towards other candidates. If the ERB deem it as defamatory, it will consider what course of action to take against the potential candidate.
6 ERB Disciplinary Powers:
6.1 Election Observers will be employed by the PSU/Student Life. They will be visible on campus and in the surrounding housing estates on Election Day.
6.2 The Observers are responsible for monitoring all electioneering activities and they shall report on any regulation breach(s) to the Returning Officer/ Representation Office who will be entitled to take such action as may be appropriate, up to and including disqualification from the election if deemed appropriate.
6.3 If a candidate or a member of their team breaches Schedule II Election Regulations of the PSU Constitution, outlines the ERB can discipline the candidate by:
Public Reprimand & Monetary Fines,
Expulsion from Hustings
Withdrawn the union electoral assistance
Disqualification from the election
In the event of a rule or rules being broken, the ERB may compel candidate and their campaign team to take specific action. Failure of the candidate and their campaign team to take the specified action in the time allocated may result in disqualification from the election.
*Hustings are provisionally scheduled for Tuesday, March 31 between 12-15. Exact time to be determined.
**Location maps are available on http://www.ulpsu.ie
- i The completed official nomination forms shall contain, as well as the required number of proposers and seconders signatures and corresponding student ID numbers, the candidate’s name as registered with the University, ID number, Course. Exceptions to this rule will only be permitted where the candidate can provide evidence showing regular University teaching communication using a name other than their registered name. The purpose of this provision is to accommodate transgender students run for election under the name they are commonly known as. The ERB will conduct a check with relevant University staff to verify the validity of the request.