The Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) released the writ of election on Saturday for its first fully-online campaign, nearly three months after postponing the election amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
RRRA originally dropped the writ on March 11, two days before the university announced the cancellation of all in-person classes for the remainder of the winter semester. With the election originally scheduled for March 27, RRRA announced that the executive would assume all the powers of council and postpone the election until further notice.
Voting will now take place on June 25 and June 26. The nomination period is set for June 18 and 19, and will be followed by five days of campaigning.
RRRA is facing challenges of an entirely virtual nomination and campaigning period. The association’s electoral code is in the process of being updated in preparation for the online elections.
“At this point, [candidates] can’t stand in the tunnels, they can’t engage with students that way,” RRRA chief electoral officer Qusai Yusuf said. “I will work towards that to make sure that there’s an efficient, effective and inclusive electoral code to make sure there is a fair election.”
Yusuf said nominees will need to think outside of the box during campaigning.
“As long as [candidates] use the official hashtag, as long as they stay within the specific amount allocated [by the] budget, they’re free to use the most creative ways, however they can, to amplify their slate on social media platforms,” he said.
“Social media will have rules in place to ensure a fair and inclusive election process,” RRRA president Douglas Cochrane wrote in an email.
An all-candidates meeting will be held virtually on a web conferencing platform, as will an all-candidates debate that is scheduled tentatively for June 24 at 6:30 p.m.
The current electoral code requires prospective candidates to collect at least 50 student signatures to file their nomination form to be eligible to campaign.
Yusuf said that he is planning on signatures being collected via Google Forms or a similar service, and said that the signatures needed could be lowered to 10 or 15, depending on which executive position the candidate is running for. He added that he will work with Housing and Residence Life Services to ensure each signature and associated student number is valid.
“Those seeking nomination face more difficulties, as it will all be online,” Yusuf wrote in an email, emphasizing that the reduction in signatures required is not finalized.
“We are committed to taking the steps possible to help students who are interested in becoming RRRA executive reach their nomination,” Cochrane wrote.
Yusuf plans on sending two mass emails to all residence students with information on the election and their ballot.
“I’m hoping that with the email platform, we can definitely reach out to more of the students,” Yusuf said. “In this circumstance, we can’t really control how many people vote.”
RRRA is also working with the Carleton University Student Association (CUSA) and the Carleton Academic Student Government (CASG) to help inform students about the election on social media.
Featured image from file.
