What are the General Elections and how do I run?

Summer Elections (June - July 2022)

Summer Elections determine Cohort Representatives and Portfolio Representatives for the cohorts of MBAN and MSCM, and they begin studies in the Summer term.  Candidates can nominate themselves for one position through a nomination form, which will be distributed to students via their Schulich email address. Elected representatives assume their duties from Summer 2022 to the end of Winter 2023.

Fall Elections (September - October 2022)

Fall Elections determine Cohort Representatives and Portfolio Representatives for the cohorts of MBA, MMAI, MMGT, MMKG, MREI, MF, and MACC, and they begin studies in the Fall term. Candidates can nominate themselves for one position through a nomination form, which will be distributed to students via their Schulich email address. Elected representatives assume their duties from Fall 2022 to the end of Summer 2023.

Winter Elections (January - February 2023)

Winter Elections determine Cohort Representatives and Portfolio Representatives for the cohorts of MBA who begin studies in the Winter term. Candidates can nominate themselves for one position through a nomination form, which will be distributed to students via their Schulich email address. Elected representatives assume their duties from Winter 2022 to the end of Summer 2023.

What is the Timeline?

The Chief Returning Officer (CRO) will host an information session to brief students on the election process. Each General Election consists the following periods: Nomination Period, Campaign Period, and Voting Period. The exact dates for each period will be announced by the CRO during the election season.

What is the difference between Cohort and Portfolio Representative?

Cohort Representatives have voting rights at the level of the GBC Board of Directors, and Portfolio Representatives have voting rights at the level of the GBC General Council. Portfolio Representatives work to represent issues of their cohort within their portfolio function in collaboration with the Directors of their respective portfolios. There are six portfolios in which a student can be a representative: Academics, Student Affairs, International Relations, Marketing & Communications, Social, or Wellness. Cohort representatives have a more general focus on the governance of the GBC with focus on constitutional changes and budget amendments.

What are the campaign rules?

Campaign Rules:

• Candidates may not run on a slate: confirmed candidates may not support any other candidate publicly.

• The blackout period, where all campaigning must cease and all campaign materials must be taken down/offline.

• The maximum campaign budget is $150 (not reimbursed by the GBC). Candidates are not required to devote any budgetary commitments to their campaigns.

• All campaign-related receipts must be scanned and emailed to CRO before the start of the blackout period.

• Candidates may not hand out gifts, free swag, gift cards, or other incentives as part of their campaign.

All candidates are expected to campaign in good faith. Any breach of campaign rules as detailed on this page may result in disqualification. Keep in mind that candidates will be held responsible for the actions of their supporters.

Rules on E-mail and Websites:

• Spamming students (via using class lists, course codes, or group lists) is prohibited.

• Sending e-mails through friends is at your discretion – and only allowed during the campaign period.

• Use of online forums for campaigning is permitted only during the campaign period, and these posts/materials must be removed by the end of the campaign period.

• Posting on GBC-affiliated websites (i.e. OneSchulich) and Facebook pages can only be done once every 24-hours on a rolling basis.

• Candidates are responsible for taking their campaign websites offline and ensuring that their campaign e-mails are no longer sent/forwarded once the blackout period starts. A penalty of a deduction in votes or disqualification may apply for failure to abide by these rules. Final decisions about penalties will be made by the GBC Election Committee.

• If candidates plan on using a website or social media platform for campaigning (e.g., Facebook, Instagram accounts), these details need to be provided to the CRO at gbccro@schulich.yorku.ca during the campaign period.

Candidates are responsible for taking their campaign materials offline and ensuring that their campaign e-mails are no longer sent/forwarded from the beginning of the Blackout Period until the Results Announcement Day. A penalty of a deduction in votes or disqualification may apply for failure to abide by these rules. The GBC Election Committee will make final decisions about penalties.

Rules on Speeches in Class:

Short speeches are permitted only with the professor's permission ahead of the Schedule. Please respect the class time and keep pitches short (30-60 seconds). Candidates are responsible for reaching out to instructors to organize an in-class speech. Failure to comply with this stipulation – i.e., campaigning in classes without the permission of the instructor or outside of the bounds of a short speech scheduled in collaboration with an instructor – will result in disqualification.

No other forms of in-class campaigning are permitted.

Nomination/Voting Rules:

• Candidates are not allowed to distribute/share the link to the voting platform. Only executives from the election committee or their authorized delegates may share/distribute the link to the voting platform.

• If the election results in a tie, GBC executives will vote to determine a winner.