The UTSU Elections Procedures Code has previously been criticized both for being far too restrictive, for prospective candidates and inflicting draconian punishments for minor offenses.

Here are a few oddities from the Elections Procedures Code:

Article VI

“Article VI.1 (l) iii.  No campaigning where alcohol is served.”

This is unnecessarily restrictive especially in campaigns that largely involve young students. Some students might want to talk about the finer points of a candidates’ campaign over a pint or two of beer.

Article VI.1 (s): 

“i. Campaigning is not allowed within six (6) metres of a Student Residence. 

 ii. Campaigning and campaign materials are not allowed within six (6) metres of a Library. 

 iii. Campaigning and campaign materials are not allowed within six (6) metres of a Computer Lab.”

The above rules are arbitrary and ineffective. If the idea is to prevent the election being too much of a nuisance for busy post-secondary students then it is largely a failure as I have constantly been campaigned to outside all three areas in years past. These restrictions are unnecessary.

On Demerit Points 

Demerit points, which are given out for campaign violations are laid out in Article VI.3 (j). They have been controversial in the past. One troubling aspect is that despite a guide on how many demerits to give, “values may be increased or decreased at the discretion of the CRO, [Elections and Referenda Committee] and the [Elections and Referenda Appeals Committee],” meaning harsher penalties could be given for small offenses and vice versa.

One offence that can earn a candidate at least three demerit points is “unintentional misrepresentation of facts.” So if a candidate makes a completely honest mistake when discussing the campaign of an opponent, they can be punished. There are already penalties for intentional misrepresentation of facts, so this particular offence seems redundant.

A candidate can also be fined for demerit points  after passing 10 demerit points. For presidential and vice-presidential candidates, the fine is $15.00, for at-large director candidates it’s $8.00, and for regular director candidates it is $5. These are harsh financial penalties to enact on cash-strapped students.