The Chief Electoral Officer rules that the website Twitter will not be allowed as a
campaigning tool due to the difficulty of monitoring and the widespread use of nick
names, which makes it close to impossible to attribute a post to an individual candidate or
campaigner. All campaigning materials must be approved by the CEO which is stated in
the Electoral Code as follows,
“12.7 All campaign material shall be submitted first for approval of the CEO.
Approval of the CEO shall be denoted by a stamp of the Office of the CEO,
which shall appear on all material. The CEO shall refuse any item if, in the
opinion of the CEO, the material contravenes the CUSA Constitution, is
libellous, or if the material does not clearly identify its originator(s).”
There is no constructive method of monitoring the postings to ensure that all materials
abide by the rules. Therefore, the use of Twitter during the Elections process will be
banned. This ruling will be strictly enforced. (Chief Electoral Officer Ruling, February 2
2010)