Election Rules
Contents...
The Electoral Commission appointed under the CqE Constitution to manage the election of charity trustees has adopted these Election Rules.
The term "Member of the Organisation" means a person who is a Member of Croquet England CIO, having become an Associate by direct payment of a subscription or by nomination by his or her primary club, and has completed and signed the required declaration with regard to voting.
1. Election Timetable
1.1 The Electoral Commission shall determine when elections for charity trustees are needed. It shall set closing dates for nominations and voting in any ballot required so that the elected trustee in any scheduled election is known no later than 28 days before the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting at which he or she will take up office.
1.2 The timetable for an election may be changed if there are special circumstances making it necessary to do so.
1.3 At least 56 days shall be allowed for nominations to be made and at least 21 days for voting.
2. The Returning Officer
2.1 The Electoral Commission shall appoint some suitable person, who may or may not be an Officer, or a Member, of the Organisation, to act as the Returning Officer in an election.
2.2 The Returning Officer shall be responsible for recording nominations, preparation, distribution and receipt of ballot papers, the operation of any electronic voting system, the scrutiny and counting of votes cast and the declaration of the result of the election.
2.3 The Returning Officer shall be responsible for the hearing and determination of any appeal against any irregularity made pursuant to paragraph 11.2 hereof and may make such arrangements for the hearing and determination of any appeal as he or she may, in his or her absolute discretion, decide.
2.4 The Returning Officer may, after hearing any appeal against any irregularity, either dismiss the appeal or declare the election invalid and order a new election or make such recommendation to the charity trustees as he or she may think fit.
3. Call for Nominations
3.1 The Returning Officer shall publish the names of the constituencies for which an election for an elected charity trustee are to be held; the timetable for the election and an invitation for nominations.
4. Eligibility for Nomination
4.1 A candidate must be a Member of the Organisation habitually resident in the constituency in which he or she is standing.
4.2 A candidate must be proposed and seconded by Members of the Organisation registered to vote in the constituency in which he or she is standing for election and must have agreed to stand.
4.3 A candidate for re-election must meet the condition in clause 16 of the Constitution (which provides that a charity trustee may serve for a maximum of three consecutive terms, following which he or she shall be ineligible for four years).
5. Nomination Procedure
5.1 Nominations shall be e-mailed to returningofficer#croquetengland.org.uk identifying the constituency, the person nominated, and his or her proposer and seconder. A personal statement, of no more than 300 words, may be attached for publication.
6. Entitlement to Vote
6.1 Every Member of the Organisation who has attained the age of 16 shall be entitled to vote in an election in the constituency in which he or she is registered to vote, as recorded in the Organisation's membership database.
6.2 Members of the Organisation may set or change the constituency in which they are registered to vote, subject to any restrictions imposed for operational reasons or to prevent suspected abuse.
7. Ballot Procedure
7.1 When a ballot becomes necessary, the Returning Officer shall configure and publicise any electronic voting system and distribute, or make available, ballot papers to all of the Members of the Organisation entitled to vote in the constituency using such means as to him or her shall seem fit.
7.2 The Returning Officer shall publish any personal statement submitted by each of the candidates whose name appears on the ballot paper.
7.3 The Returning Officer shall specify the date by which votes must be cast electronically or ballot papers returned to him or her at the specified address. Ballot papers must be signed and contain the voter's membership number or address. They may be returned by post or by such other means as the Returning Officer may specify, including email from a registered address.
8. Method of Voting
8.1 Each voter shall have one transferable vote.
8.2 Each voter must indicate his or her first preference, by following the instructions in an electronic voting application or with the figure 1 on a ballot paper.
8.3 The order of a voter's preference for some or all of the other candidates may also be indicated. In an electronic voting application, the instructions should be followed. On a ballot paper, distinct figures, ranging from 2 up to the number of candidates for which an order of preference is to be indicated, should be placed against the names of those candidates; lower figures indicate higher preferences.
9. Valid and Invalid Votes
9.1 An electronic vote or a ballot paper on which a first or only preference is expressed unambiguously shall be valid.
9.2 An electronic vote or a ballot paper on which no first or only preference is expressed or on which any first preference is void for uncertainty shall be invalid.
9.3 A ballot paper which does not bear the signature and name and the address, or membership number, of the voter shall be invalid.
10. Counting the Votes
10.1 The Returning Officer shall examine the electronic votes and the ballot papers returned to him or her and shall count them in order to determine the total number of votes cast.
10.2 The Returning Officer shall then identify and set aside any invalid electronic votes and ballot papers; count them and subtract the number of them from the total number of votes cast to get the total valid vote.
10.3 The Returning Officer shall examine the valid electronic votes and ballot papers and shall sort them into parcels according to the first preference recorded for each candidate and record the total number of first preference votes recorded for each candidate.
10.4 The Returning Officer shall then calculate the quota by dividing the total valid vote by one more than the number of places to be filled.
10.5 The Returning Officer shall then consider each candidate in turn in descending order of their votes and deem elected the candidate whose vote first equals or exceeds the quota, in accordance with the handbook produced by the Electoral Reform Society entitled "How to Conduct an Election by the Single Transferable Vote" (3rd edition 1997).
10.6 The Returning Officer may use any electronic means which he or she is satisfied will produce, or assist in producing, the same result as the procedure set out above.
10.7 The Returning Officer shall publish a suitable account of the votes cast and the counting of them on the Organisations's website.
11. Defects in the Ballot Procedure
11.1 Accidental failure to deliver or make available electronic voting or a ballot paper in due time or at all to a Member entitled to vote shall not invalidate an election or be treated as an irregularity unless a substantial number of Members entitled to vote were unable to do so in due time.
11.2 A Member who alleges that there has been or may have been an irregularity in the election may within 14 days after the declaration of the result appeal to the Returning Officer. Subject to any order made by the Returning Officer on appeal, no irregularity shall invalidate an election.
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