Rules for the Elections – General Assembly 2024
This document explains the MCAA internal procedures and describes the rules and guidelines to be applied for the election of the Members of the Board for the election of 16th March 2024. This document ensures an open, transparent, and fair democratic process.
The MCAA Elections Task Force is responsible for all decisions concerning the election rules, as well as for the validation of candidates and the organisation of the elections. The Task Force is made up of the following individuals: Fernanda Bajanca (MCAA Chair), Alexandra Dubini (MCAA Vice-Chair), Mostafa Moonir Shawrav (MCAA Executive Director), Brian Cahill (Member of the MCAA Ethics Committee), and Federico Torres (MCAA Director).
The Election task force is responsible for
- Overseeing the comprehensive administration of the election process.
- Formulating and establishing the election regulations and procedures.
- Providing direction to the Secretariat and the IT Team to ensure all actors adhere to the election process.
- Assessing and validating candidates for Board positions.
- Declining a candidate's application in accordance with the rules outlined in this document.
- Investigating complaints filed against any candidate and take appropriate actions to resolve and decide on them.
- Disqualifying a candidate upon substantiated evidence of a rule violation.
1 MCAA BOARD MEMBERS
a) Eleven Board Members are to be Elected, as per the following five categories:
● One Chair of the Board (and Executive Committee)
● Two Vice-Chairs of the Board (and Executive Committee)
● One Treasurer of the Board (and Executive Committee)
● One Secretary of the Board (and Executive Committee)
● Six Ordinary Board Members
b) The mandate of the Board members is for a period of approximately two years. The mandate of the elected Board will end at the GA of 2024, after the election of a new Board.
2 CANDIDATES TO THE BOARD POSITIONS
a) An individual can run for at most one (1) Board position, provided they are eligible. If an individual applies to run for a Board position, they cannot apply to run for another Board position simultaneously. They must first revoke their first candidacy before applying to run for another Board position.
b) In order to be eligible for election, Marie Curie Alumni shall comply with the following criteria:
- To be registered as an MCAA member at the Marie Curie Alumni web portal for at least 12 months before the date of the election;
- Have set up a personal and career profile in the web portal, completed to at least 90%; (To update the profile, members can click on their name on top of the screen (they must be logged in). Then click on the Action button on the right, and then click on “Edit”)
- Have filled in the Board Application Form, available on the web portal, during the nomination period and no later than 31th January 2024 (17:00 CET).
- Have no conflicts of interest (candidates must declare potential conflicts of interests, which will be evaluated by the Election Task Force before validating the candidacy).
- Have no criminal record and have not been involved in any illegal or unethical activity, including fraud, tax evasion, influence peddling, etc.
- Adhere to the values of the MCAA as well as to the Articles of the Association (AoA).
- Have not been elected twice as a Board Member.
- Not be a member of the MCAA 2024 Election Task Force. Members excluded as per this rule for 2024 include:
● Fernanda Bajanca (MCAA Chair)
● Alexandra Dubini (MCAA Vice-Chair)
● Mostafa Moonir Shawrav (MCAA Executive Director)
● Brian Cahill (Former Chair & MCAA Ethics Committee Representative)
● Federico Torres (MCAA Director)
● Any new member of the MCAA Election Task Force named after the publication of these guidelines.
c) Candidate profiles, positions to which they are applying, and a short (Maximum 600 words) personal statement regarding the nomination will be submitted by each candidate during the Application Period via the MCAA web portal. The statement should briefly describe (a) candidates’ backgrounds and similar past experiences, (b) plans and priorities for the coming two years, and (c) the reasons why candidates consider they are qualified for taking over the position.
d) Nominations will not be approved automatically but must be validated by the Elections Task Force. After the submission of nominations, candidates will receive an automated message indicating that the application was received. After that, the Election Task Force will evaluate all applications according to the eligibility criteria stated in this document. The final list of candidates will be displayed on the portal before the campaign period starts. During the validation process, the Election Task Force may contact candidates if more information or clarity is required to evaluate eligibility criteria. Candidates may contact the Election Task Force should they need clarifications related to the validation of their candidacies (election.taskforce@mariecuriealumni.eu)
e) Candidates will have the ability to revoke their nomination by writing to the Election Task Force till February 29, 2024, 17:00 CET. Revocations of nominations will be posted on the MCAA Web portal within three working days upon submission, and this information will be posted chronologically.
f) All candidates’ profiles, including the position to which they are applying and a short personal statement regarding the candidacy, will be made available on the MCAA web portal after the validation process is completed. This information will be available to all MCAA members no earlier than February 9, 2024, and at least two weeks before the General Assembly.
3 CAMPAIGN RULES
The MCAA Operational Team will report to the Election Task Force any breach of the following campaign rules; the Election Task Force will vote to disqualify candidates who are not compliant. Any MCAA member can independently report concerns regarding potential breaches of the campaign rules to the Election Task Force (mail).
A. The use of MCAA resources for campaigning is forbidden except when explicitly allowed for the purposes of the election and following the principles of equal access. These resources include but are not limited to:
a. Financial resources of MCAA, including both MCAA Governance Budget and MCAA Own Fund
b. MCAA publications (including but not limited to Social Media, Newsletter, Magazine, Blog, Podcast etc.),
c. MCAA Chapter and Working Group publications, communication channels, and use of contact information of the members
d. MCAA Web Portal
B. The MCAA will provide a standard format on the web portal for Candidates to promote their candidacy and organise campaign events
C. There will be a reflection period of at least 48 hours before opening the voting system, where any form of campaign is prohibited. Campaigning is prohibited from March 11, 2024.
Candidates are invited to submit with their applications a short video of not more than 2 minutes to present their candidacy to the MCAA community, explaining their main ideas and priorities. The videos will be uploaded to the MCAA portal.
The Election Task Force may also organise meetings/debates/discussions for the Excom and Board candidates.
4 VOTING SYSTEM AND PROCESS
a) A secret vote will be cast on the day of the MCAA General Assembly through the electronic voting system. The guidelines to use the electronic voting system will be shared in advance and will be available in the portal.
b) Each voting member will be able to cast their vote electronically before and during the General Assembly. When all members have voted, or when the time allocated for voting has expired (whichever is sooner), the votes will be counted, and the results will be announced.
c) In a category where there is one (1) position to fill (i.e., Chair, Treasurer and Secretary), each MCAA member attending the General Assembly shall have the option to either:
a. cast one (1) vote for one (1) candidate,
b. leave the category blank
d) In a category where there are multiple positions to fill (i.e., two (2) for Vice-Chair and six (6) for Ordinary Board Member), each MCAA member attending the General Assembly shall have the option to either
a. cast at least one (1) vote, and at most the number of votes corresponding to the number of positions to fill,
b. leave the category blank
e) Voting ballot forms submitted but not filled in at all (i.e. without “X” in any boxes, or other means of identification) will be considered blank but valid votes.
5 ELECTRONIC VOTING SYSTEM
a) The election process described in Section 4 will be provided by electronic means. The electronic system will be available before and during the General Assembly.
b) Each MCAA member who is eligible to vote will receive a link to access the voting system. This link will enable members to cast their votes.
c) The system will be open for members to cast their votes from the 14th March 2024 14:00 CET till 16th March 17:00 CET
6 VOTING RESULTS
a) For each of the above-listed positions, the candidate with the highest number of votes received will be considered elected; where more than one position is to be filled, the candidate with the most votes will take the first position, the candidate with the second highest number of votes will take the second position, and this principle is continued until all positions are filled.
b) If two candidates receive the same number of votes for one position, the current Board members present at the General Assembly will publicly vote by a show of hands during the General Assembly to break the tie. Board members running for the election will not vote on this to avoid conflict of interest. If this vote ends in a tie, a coin flip will determine the winner. The coin flip will be administered by the Election Task Force, which will determine which candidates are represented by which side of the coin. The coin will be flipped in the air and allowed to drop to the floor. The side facing up when the coin lands and stops moving will be the side that wins. The choice of coin will be made by the Election Task Force at the time of the coin flip.
c) The tabulation of voting results will be conducted and validated by the Election Task Force.
d) The voting results shall be:
i. Registered in the minutes / proceedings of the General Assembly;
ii. Published on the MCAA web-portal, under the section MCAA Board (https://www.mariecuriealumni.eu/mcaa-board).
iii. Published, as legally required, in the ‘Moniteur Belge’.
e) The mandate of the newly elected Board will officially begin with the closing of the General Assembly.