CFS Referendum update
Over the last week, we’ve had several inquiries in person and via Twitter and email asking us if we know the results of the Canadian Federation of Students referendum. We initially reported on our website that the holdup might have something to do with the eligibility of some voters, and while that’s true, it’s not the voters we thought it was.
Originally, we speculated that the delay was due to questions regarding whether FNUniv students, who currently pay into both Local 90, the FNUniv local of CFS, and Local 9, the University of Regina local, would be eligible to vote. The issue came up at our open forum on Oct. 26, and we were aware that FNUniv students were being asked to put their votes into a double envelope to be verified later.
But FNUniv students weren’t the only students being asked to double-envelope their ballots. Pollsters manning the voting booths during the voting period were required to verify student eligibility online. However, in instances where the Internet was inaccessible to the pollsters, voters were asked to put their ballots in double envelopes.
The referendum protocols established by the Referendum Oversight Committee (ROC) state that “[i]n the event that a student does not appear on the voters’ list, her vote shall be double enveloped and the student’s eligibility shall be verified with the university registrar.” The Carillon has learned that there‘s a considerable number of these ballots, and that the Registrar’s Office is sorting through ballots to determine eligibility, after which the eligible votes will be tabulated. Only after these ballots are sorted, tallied and added to those votes that have already been verified will the results be made available.
That’s all there is to it, apparently – it’s just a part of the voting process that was there all along. The last ROC website update mentioned results being ready by Nov. 1, but since that date has come and gone with no updates it’s not clear whether they expected it to delay the process this long.
The ROC’s website has no indication of when votes will be tabulated, and we’re not sure ourselves, but if the results haven’t been released by the time this issue hits the stands then we’ll post them to our website as soon as we know. You, the Carillon reader, can be sure that we’ll devote plenty of resources to following the referendum to its conclusion.
John Cameron
Editor-in-Chief
Voter eligibility should have been determined before the election ever took place. This shows a lack of professionalism on the part of both URSU and the CFS. This referendum casts both organizations in a poor light and weakens my confidence in both to represent my interests as a student.