REFERENDA FAQ

What is a referendum?

Simply put, a referendum is an “all-members vote”, and one may be called for the following purposes:

1. To determine the stance of the membership on issues of major importance

2. To determine membership in, or commitment to pay any corollary fees, of other organizations

3. To overturn decisions of the Board

4. To enact or amend the by-laws of the corporation

How does an initiation of referenda occur?

Those groups seeking to initiate referenda must do so through the presentation of a completed petition to the Board. This petition must be signed by 5% of the membership to be deemed valid and considered by the board. Petitions that have received support from 10% of the membership are considered binding. This petition must state the reasoning and suggested wording of the question.

What is the required format of the petition and what must be included?

All petitions must be addressed to the Board and written in clear language. All petitions must include the following information about those who sign it.

Petitions must contain the following headings:

i) “NAME (printed [in clear writing or font])” 

ii) “SIGNATURE” (may be excluded if the petition is digital)

iii) “STUDENT NUMBER”

iv) “TRENT UNIVERSITY EMAIL ADDRESS”

What are the guidelines for obtaining signatures?

It is the responsibility of the instigator(s) of the petition to insure the following:

i) That the petition is undertaken in good faith for a legitimate reason.

ii) That each person filling out the petition is clearly informed of what they are signing, by the instigator(s) of the petition.

iii) That, to the best efforts of the instigator(s) of the petition, each signatory is of sound mind (i.e. not under the influence of drugs or alcohol) and that said signatories are capable of understanding what they are signing.

iv) That the instigator(s) ensure that each signatory is a Peterborough campus undergraduate student at the University and therefore a member of the Association (includes School of Education). 

v) That any petitions are submitted in a timely manner so that they can be verified by the Association through membership records, as necessary.

vi) That each signatory has clearly and legibly submitted their information under each required heading, with the exception of those entries under the signature heading.

vii) That no false, incomplete, or duplicate entries are made on the petition.

viii) Any group who wishes to petition for a new levy fee or to amend a levy fee must make an application to the Board of Directors before the start of the Spring Electoral Period. The application must contain:

a) Why the levy fee is being requested or amended, including its intended use(s) of additional funds; 

b) Suggested wording of the question to appear on the ballot;

c) A list of three (3) officers (individuals and their positions) responsible for the organization during the referendum process;

ix) Registered TCSA Clubs seeking a levy group fee are subject to the additional requirement of having clubs or group status with the Association for the two (2) previous calendar years.

How many signatures are required for a petition to be valid?

A five percent (5%) threshold is needed for a question to be included in the Association's Elections. It is recommended that petitioners collect above this threshold to account for invalid or incomplete entries. Please contact boardresource@trentcentral.ca to inquire about the exact number of signatures required. It fluctuates each year depending on the number of members in the Association.

What is the timeline for the open and close of the petition?

Click here to find up-to-date information for our Spring Elections Referenda.

What comes next?

A representative of the group petitioning for referenda must attend the All-Candidates & Referenda Meeting at the close of the Registration Period. Prior to this meeting, all individuals intending to campaign (be it for the yes or no campaign) must agree to the Code of Conduct, and sign an agreement in front of the Lead Electoral Officer.

With regards to campaigning, an outline of dates to be aware of can be found on the Key Dates tab on our Elections page.

Can a group petitioning for referenda participate in electoral events?

Yes, groups petitioning for referenda are strongly encouraged to participate in the electoral events. Information regarding these events, and how to prepare for them, will be released at the All-Candidates Meeting.

How are the results interpreted?

A majority decision of the votes cast in the referendum shall be binding upon the Board, provided that the total number of votes cast represents more than fifteen percent (15%) of the total membership of the corporation.