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President & PEC Election Regulations

2024 – 2026

President Election Regulations 2024 – 2026

 

Regulations

  1. The Principal Executive Council (PEC) approved these regulations under rule 14(b) and (c) of the Rules of Accord to govern the election of the President who will take office from the close of the union’s Biennial Delegate Conference 2024 until the close of the Biennial Delegate Conference in 2026

Independent Scrutineer

  1. In accordance with The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, the PEC has appointed Mi-Voice, Democracy Technology Ltd, First Floor, The Arch Building, Gaters Mill, Mansbridge Road, West End, Southampton, SO18 3HW as the independent Scrutineer for the election. In addition to performing duties in accordance with the Act, the Scrutineer shall make whatever enquiries or investigations they consider appropriate to ensure that, as far as possible, the ballot has been carried out in accordance with these Regulations.

  2. The decision of the Scrutineer on any matter in these Regulations shall be final.

Contested Election

  1. The General Secretary shall provide the names of validly nominated candidates in the ballot in question together with the election statements to the Scrutineer who shall distribute voting papers and the election statements to members entitled to vote in accordance with the timetable.

  2. The ballot shall be conducted in accordance with current legislation. Voting will be by a postal ballot of all individual fully paid-up members (excluding honorary, associate and retired members) who are in membership of the union as at a date 14 days prior to the date of despatch of voting papers.

  3. Each member entitled to vote shall be allowed to do so without interference, constraint or undue pressure, in secret and, as far as is reasonably practicable, without incurring any direct cost.

  4. Members will be entitled to vote for one candidate as President. The candidate with the highest votes shall be declared elected.

  5. The Scrutineer’s report as required under the 1992 Act shall be provided to the General Secretary within 40 days after the date of despatch of the voting papers.

The result

  1. Following receipt of the Scrutineer’s report, the General Secretary shall announce the result of the ballot to the membership as soon as reasonably practicable. Accord will not publish the result of the election until it has received the Scrutineer’s report.

  2. A full copy of the Scrutineer’s report shall be published to members as soon as practicable.

Complaints

  1. Any complaint regarding the Ballot must be made by a member or candidate in writing to the Scrutineer prior to the announcement of the results. The Scrutineer may delay the announcement of the results pending investigation of the complaint.

  2. The Scrutineer shall investigate the complaint and if, as a result, the complaint is upheld, may declare the elections void or the election of any person void, or any candidate disqualified.

  3. In addition, the Scrutineer may invalidate any vote, or any number of votes previously counted or include any vote, or any number of votes not previously counted, and thereby re-determine the results of the elections.

General

  1. No union funds or other resources may be used to support any candidate, nor may the union’s corporate identity or logo (or anything which in the opinion of the Scrutineer may be identified as such) be used in any material supporting any candidate(s). Accord’s own social media platforms may not be used for election campaigning.

  2. The Union’s membership database is not to be accessed or otherwise used for the purpose of identifying email addresses of members for the purposes of campaigning.

  3. Candidates must ensure that members should be given a clear option to unsubscribe or decline to receive any further such communications if they are written to, telephoned, e-mailed, texted or otherwise communicated with at their home or on private communications appliances.

  4. Prospective candidates may, subject to compliance with the IT use policy applicable within the relevant employer, seek nominations by emailing members known to them at their workplace email address but should not use a member’s work email address to campaign as a nominated candidate, unless in compliance with the IT policy applicable to the employer of that member and with that member’s consent.

  5. No Accord employee should campaign and no Accord employee may provide administration support using union facilities for any candidate.

  6. All candidates and their campaign supporters should familiarise themselves with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018.

  7. If the Scrutineer determines that a candidate or his/her campaign is in breach of any of the provisions of paragraphs 14 to 17 above, they may be disqualified from standing in the election. There will be no appeal. 

Any queries in respect of these regulations should be referred to either:

Schedule

Election stage

Date

Postal ballot papers despatched

16/02/2024

Voting opens

19/02/2024

Voting closes

19/03/2024

Results declared

20/03/2024

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