Elections

Voting for the AUSU Elections takes place online over a period of four days. General Election voting days are in February and voting for the By-Election (if required) takes place in early October. Any active member (Algoma University Student) in good standing with the Students’ Union can run and vote in the Elections.

Near the end of January, a “Notice of Nomination” signed by the CRO goes up online and at the AUSU office to announce the available positions for the General Election. If required, a Notice of Nomination for the By-Election is posted in early September. A full list of SU Elected Official positions is located in the Position Description section.

Once the Notice is up, that means that Nomination packages become available. These packages have all the information and forms you need as a candidate. They can be downloaded from the AUSU website. Contact studentunion@algomau.ca for more information.

The best way to learn more about a position is to talk to someone currently in the role. You may want to set up a meeting or ask if you can “job shadow” for a few hours. You can contact any of our Elected Officials by email, found here.

You can also attend any AUSU meeting (next meeting date advertised here) in the AUSU Boardroom to see how the union works as a team to make decisions.

The time from when the Notice of Nomination is put up to the last Nomination Day is known as the Nomination Period. This period lasts at least five (5) business days. This is the time potential candidates use to learn about available positions, fill out the Nomination packages, establish their platform and ask for student support.

To register as a candidate you must meet the CRO in person on one of the Nomination Days to deliver your Nomination Package. Pay close attention to all the requirements – the CRO will only register you if all of the forms are filled out correctly and you have brought all your supporting materials.

​These nomination period days are a busy time and there is often a line. Make sure you come early and set aside enough time! The CRO will go through all of your forms with you and may have questions. Anyone who has not submitted their package by the deadline on the last day is not considered an official candidate and is not permitted to campaign.

You must complete the forms in the Nomination Package and fulfill other requirements, such as submission of a photo, collecting a certain number of student signatures and writing a brief description of your platform. Requirements can slightly vary from year to year, so be sure to read the Nomination Package carefully. Nomination package are now available online. Please see below to download the forms.

​After the final Nomination Day you will receive an email confirming that you are officially a candidate for the AUSU Election. The CRO will give you information on next steps such as attending the All Candidates Meeting.

You can verbally tell other students you have the intent to run as early as you wish. However, students are not permitted to campaign until the Campaign Period officially begins (after the last All Candidates Meeting). Pre-campaigning is against Election Policy and includes posting of materials, asking for votes or sharing information about your campaign platform.

To keep elections fair and ensure all candidates are on a level playing field, there are limits on how much you can spend. These limits are outlined in the Nomination Package and depend on what position you are running for. Candidates who exceed the maximum amount for the position they are running for are automatically disqualified.

Yes! Many students ask friends to support them by “volunteering” on their campaign. These volunteers can help you put up posters and hand out materials during the Campaign Period. You may also which to have a Campaign Manager to represent you.