I.D. Referenda & Petitions

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(As prescribed in the Bylaws)

I.D.1. INITIATING REFERENDA

1.01 The Board may, by a simple majority, initiate a referendum.
1.02 A petition by the Membership containing the signatures of at least ten percent of the total membership with not more than one third of the signers from any one unit shall initiate a member referendum.
1.02.1 Valid petitions must be submitted to the BSC President 83 days in advance (of the end of the contract period). Competing referenda must be submitted within seven days and all referenda must be on the same ballot.
1.03 Any change to the Bylaws that affect the rights of members will automatically initiate a member referendum in the earliest possible contract period such that the referendum can be completed in accordance with referenda Deadlines.
1.04 Member referenda shall not be conducted during the Summer contract period.

I.D.2. REFERENDA DEADLINES

2.01 All member referenda must close at least one day before the Budget Board Meeting in the Spring Semester.
2.02 Member referenda that do not alter the contract offered to members must close at least one week before the final scheduled Board meeting of the semester in which they are held.
2.03 Referenda must be initiated at least 28 days before voting closes (as determined above)
2.04 Competing referenda are accepted until 21 days before voting closes
2.05 The President, VPET and one Member Volunteer will compile and distribute non-biased voter information (see Policy I.D.3) through email and in the house run at least 14 days before voting closes. Voting shall be open at the time such information is distributed, and shall remain open for a minimum of 14 days.

I.D.3. REFERENDUM INFORMATION

3.01 The initiator of a referendum must write a statement in favor of the proposed measure
3.02 Volunteers will be allowed to submit a statement in opposition to the proposed measure
3.03 It is the duty of the President to compile this information. Each side must be given equal space, and the President will supply a statement for one or both sides if it is not submitted by the deadline.
3.04 Election material will be reviewed by the Communications Coordinator before it is submitted to the membership to ensure that it is balanced
3.05 Election material will be published on the BSC website, with a forum for member comments

I.D.4. QUORUM

4.01 In order for an election to be valid, at least 30% of the membership must vote, provided that at least 50% of the units have at least 10% of their members voting

I.D.5. VOTING

5.01 The President and Communications Coordinator shall devise a secure, anonymous method for voting. Electronic voting is permitted, provided that it meets the minimum security guidelines of a personalized email to each member containing their application number and a random password, which will allow them to log in to the BSC website and cast a vote.

I.D.6. ELECTION RESULTS

6.01 Intermediate results checked while voting is open shall only be to verify quorum requirements
6.02 The President, an Executive, the Communications Coordinator, and two Member Volunteers shall be present at the time voting is closed in Central Office. The voting results shall be visibly analyzed by the President to ensure quorum, and then to determine the outcome of the election.
6.03 A simple majority of votes in favor of a proposal must pass in order for that proposal to be approved by the membership.
6.04 Election results shall be made public on the BSC website and through the Member Resources Newsletter, and will be reported to the Board of Directors at their next meeting.
6.05 An item approved by the Membership must be affirmed by a vote of the Board before it may take effect and be considered binding. A simple majority of Directors voting is required to affirm an item that has been approved by Member referendum.
6.06 Members may verify their vote was counted correctly using their application ID at Central Office for 14 days after the close of an election.

I.D.7. PETITION POLICY

These are the minimal requirements for a valid petition:

7.01. The top of the petition must clearly provide: A summary of the proposal; Authors of the petition & their relevant affiliations.
7.02. The exact wording of a proposed position must be included on the petition. The content must be clear.
7.03. A completed petition must legibly include the following signatory information in addition to the signature—a) each signer’s name in print b) The signer’s unit and c) The signer’s phone number or email address. Only members as defined by BSC policy may sign a BSC petition.
7.04. The Agent of verification for petitions is the Administrative Committee (AdCom). If challenged by any member, AdCom verifies the following:
a. Whether a petition is in accordance with 1-3 of the Petition Policy. (Recommended BEFORE signature collection)
b. The validity of signatures/signers. (Examples: Random checks of 10% or more of the signatures via member contact by phone/email is recommended; or checks of all signatures against BSC database; or comparison of random sample of signatures to see if they match w/ those we have at CO.)
7.05. A petition can only be disputed within a month of signatures being gathered and it is submitted for enactment. A special petition only AdCom meeting can be convened.
7.06. These requirements apply to any petition mechanism dictated by BSC policy or by-laws.

I.D.8. ONLINE GOVERNANCE MEMBER PORTAL

8.01 All members shall have access to the online governance website in order to submit policy concerns to the membership and call Board’s attention to those concerns.
8.02 Any proposal submitted to the online governance website which reaches 150 affirmative votes must be discussed at the following Cabinet; Cabinet will then discuss such proposals and delegate to committees as appropriate.