Interested in running for the position of editor-in-chief at the Charlatan? Here’s everything you need to know about our upcoming election and its procedures.
Important dates:
- Applications due on March 12th, 2026 @ 11:59 p.m. EST.
- Speeches will take place March 14th, 2026 (between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST) via Zoom.
- Voting will take place on March 15th to 17th, 2026. Eligible voters will receive an email from the Chief Elections Officer.
- Results will be announced by March 18th, 2026.
Role description:
- Serve as the public face of the editorial staff to the community;
- Assist the Treasurer, Office Administrator and Board Chair in the monitoring of the finances;
- Act as a signing authority;
- Provide leadership for all editorial and non-editorial staff at the organisation and manage performance expectations;
- Ensure the content and editorial policies are followed by the regular contributors;
- Review and sign off on all pages, digital and print, of the Charlatan before they are sent out for publication;
- Submit an end-of-year report to the Board and regular contributors by the end of the publishing year;
- Handle situations with discretion when no policy is in place and a decision is needed for anything regarding editorial content; and
- Deal with all editorial content and editorial matters that may arise from time to time.
Compensation: The elected editor-in-chief will be paid between $300-$600 every other week during their term. This compensation amount will be finalized after the 2026-27 budget is passed at Charlatan Publications Inc.’s Annual General Meeting in April.
To apply:
- Those interested in running for the position of editor-in-chief must submit a cover letter (containing the candidate’s full name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, and valid student number) expressing their interest and qualifications for the position, a one-page (double-sided) CV, and a platform paper introducing the candidate to voters and expressing any ideas they have for the paper.
- Applications should be submitted to the Chief Elections Officer (Kyra Vellinga) at [email protected].
- During the speech period, candidates will give a speech of no more than ten (10) minutes. A question period will follow and last sixty (60) minutes, not including the three (3) questions from the current editor-in-chief. Questions during the question period may be posed by current editors, candidates for other positions, and eligible voters. Each person is eligible to ask up to two questions, and candidates have three (3) minutes to respond to each.
- Candidates for editor-in-chief must have been a member of the corporation in the year of their application. Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to have contributed to the Charlatan at least four (4) times between May 2025 and the deadline for applications.
Campaign procedures:
- No candidate may actively solicit votes by using the Charlatan contact lists to phone or email volunteers. This does not mean candidates cannot attempt to garner votes; however, they must do it on their own time and with their own resources.
- Any current editor running for another position cannot solicit votes using any official communication or in any working capacity. A candidate found to be using the Charlatan resources to do so will be disqualified at the discretion of the Chief Elections Officer.
To be an eligible voter:
- One must be a regular contributor, meaning you have contributed four (4) times to any Charlatan section(s) from May 2025 to the application deadline.
- A list of eligible voters will be posted to the Charlatan website no later than three days before speeches.
Additional information:
- Examples of previous position papers can be found in the following here.
- Any questions should be directed to Kyra Vellinga, Chief Elections Officer, at [email protected].
- Official electoral procedures can be found here.
- Zoom links to election speeches will be made available via the Charlatan’s website/social media the week of. Official schedules will be available at least one day before the speeches.
