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To: Josephine Butler College JCR

Referendum to make JCR/Chair elections Anonymous

Anonymous Voting
• Candidates submit manifestos to JCR Chair in advance of the JCR meeting used to announce the existence of elections. The JCR Chair reads the manifestos to check that they have no obviously identifying features.
• The existence of elections to be held would be announced in a JCR meeting. Elections would open within a day of the end of the JCR meeting and remain open for 72 hours. Results would be announced later in the same day that the elections concluded.
• Voters would be presented with the anonymised manifestos of the candidates they are voting for. After reading these, they rank the candidates and the option to Re-Open Nominations as happens in the current online system.
• Any candidate who is found to be advancing their cause publicly will be disqualified from the election. Equally, if the integrity of the JCR Chair in this process is brought into question, their validity for their position may be brought up for debate. Either of these can happen retroactively, and if necessary constitute a sufficient reason to re-hold an election.
o Methods for advancing a cause might include: recognisable phrases, slogans or sign offs; through publicising a candidacy on a group chat or equivalent; informing people by word of mouth. This list is neither complete, nor exhaustive, it is intended only as some opening suggestions or reference points.
• There are obviously some positions for which it is appropriate to have a public husting: for example, college mascot or Quizmaster (at least at Butler). The full extent of positions exempted from online voting only would be decided later by each college which follows this system.
o These positions are generally suited for an extrovert candidate who is confident in front of crowds.
o They should still be voted for online, for the reason outlined above.
• Motions for change within college would generally remain the business of JCR meetings. However, motions for widespread change should require a sufficient turnout to be deemed a binding vote by the college. This turnout is to be decided later.
o This would represent an appropriate way to pass this change through college.

Why is this important?

Some Problems with the Current System
• The current method of voting by raising your hand (as used at Butler) is susceptible to peer pressure. It is significantly less likely that a candidate or motion which may be less popular, will receive votes when the voter is identifiable by face for their choice.
• Using candidates’ names encourages a focus on who they are, over what they offer. When a well-known member of college runs for a position, it is likely that this puts off others who have less of a reputation. This lowers the quality of debate and ideas put forward for college events and for exec positions.
Problems based exclusively on evidence from Butler
• The bar’s capacity is limited to around 400 people. This is already insufficient for just the current freshers. As the college continues to grow, it is easy to imagine a situation whereby those who wish to attend JCR meetings, simply cannot fit in the bar.
• Having to provide a physical presence in the bar also excludes all students who are away from Durham, for example on a year abroad, from having a say in their college’s future, or from standing themselves for exec positions in their final year.
• Given this problem, the recent innovation to permit the live streaming of JCR meetings is welcome. It also encourages greater participation from livers-out who might otherwise be put off by the long walk on a Sunday night. However, it appears there is a significant flaw in the current system: those who stream cannot vote. They are nothing more than observers, despite their engagement with the JCR. This does them a disservice.
• The option of a summarised husting read by the JCR Chair is unlikely to win a candidate an election. In the absence of the ability to respond to questions which is afforded to other candidates, it seems that a candidate who, for whatever reason, does not wish to be on-stage is left at a disadvantage.
• JCR meetings are currently excessively long, often lasting upwards of 2 or 3 hours. This is a significant commitment which should not always be necessary to have a say in the running of the JCR. Student political engagement and a degree should not be mutually exclusive.

This is a petition for Josephine Butler College JCR, but other colleges are welcome to sign, and given an appropriate level of response, the petition will be delivered to the respective authorities.

Josephine Butler College, Durham

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Updates

2017-12-20 19:44:21 +0000

25 signatures reached

2017-12-20 11:49:00 +0000

10 signatures reached