Elections

1.Every vacancy in respect of an Elected member representing a Constituency shall be filled in the following manner:

1.There shall be dispatched an email to each Member who is entitled to vote in the election to fill the vacancy at the email address which she or he has registered with BSUG, a notice of the vacancies to be filled at the forthcoming election, together with a copy of the relevant Regulations and inviting nominations for such vacancies in accordance with Regulation

 

 1.1.  Such notice shall state the latest date by which nominations must be received, the date of the election and the date from which the elected person takes office.

 

2. A person shall only be eligible to be a candidate for an Elected position if she or he is in Active Practice throughout the period from the date of her or his nomination to the date of taking office & is a fully paid up member of BSUG.  

 

3. A candidate for election must inform the Chairman if she or he ceases to be in Active Practice at any time during the period referred to in Regulation 1.1.2.  The nomination of a candidate shall be withdrawn if she or he subsequently ceases to be in Active Practice.  If a candidate is elected as an Elected member but subsequently ceases to be in Active Practice before the date she or he is due to take office, she or he shall not take such office.  

 

4.Every candidate for an office must be and shall be nominated in writing (attachment to an email is acceptable) by at least two BSUG members of that Constituency.

 

5.A person may only be nominated as a candidate for one Constituency in any one year.  

 

6.A written election statement in a form approved by the BSUG Executive for all candidates which shall be circulated in accordance with Regulation 1.1.7. The link for voting should not shared.(Every nomination paper, together with the candidate's written consent to stand for election and her or his written election statement, shall be sent to the BSUG Secretariat by email by the date specified in the notice for that Constituency.

 

7.A ballot paper listing the candidates for election, together with any written election statements of the candidates permitted by these Regulations, shall be sent to each BSUG member of that Constituency, who is entitled to vote at the election. Such election documents shall be sent to Members at their email address held on record by BSUG.

 

8.The election shall be by the method of a single vote.

 

9.Members shall fill in their ballot papers and return the same to the BSUG Secretariat so as to reach her or him before midnight of the closing day of the date fixed for closure of the election and no ballot paper received by the Secretariat after midnight of such day shall be counted as valid.

 

10.Any ballot paper adjudged by the Secretariat (or in her or his absence a member of the BSUG Executive) to be improperly or incorrectly filled in shall be declared to be invalid.

 

11.Members may only vote. 

2.The votes under Regulation 1.1 shall be counted by such person or persons as the BSUG Executive appoints, and the result reported to a meeting of the Executive, and the Executive shall declare which candidates are elected and report this to the Membership.

3.In the event of an equality of votes in an election, the Executive shall decide by a ballot of the members of the Executive.

 

1.Each Elected member, who is a Member, shall hold office for a term of three years from the date she or he takes office (two years for Vice-Chair, then two further years as Chair)

2.Each Elected member shall hold office for a term of three years, from the date she or he takes office, at the end of which she or he shall retire but shall be eligible for re-election in a different office for one further term of three years.

3.A retiring Elected member shall hold office until the close of the day on which she or he retires.

4.An Officer and any other member of the Council shall vacate office if she or he:

 

1.becomes subject to a bankruptcy order or interim order or makes any arrangement or composition with her or his creditors;

2.is suffering from mental disorder and either is admitted to hospital in pursuance of an application for admission for treatment under any statute for the time being in force relating to mental disorder for a period in excess of 28 days or an order is made in relation to her or his personal welfare or property and affairs under legislation relating to mental health or mental capacity;

3.ceases to be a Member of BSUG;

4.resigns office by notice in writing;

5.is removed from office by a resolution of the Executive Committee, that the interests of BSUG so require, after inviting the views of the members of the Executive Committee concerned and considering the matter in the light of any such views;

6.is absent from more than one half of the Business Meetings of BSUG during a continuous period of twelve months without special leave of absence from BSUG and the Executive Committee passes a resolution that she or he has by reason of such absence vacated office.  “Business Meeting” means a meeting of the Executive Committee whose agenda contains more than one item requiring consideration by the Committee (disregarding consideration of previous minutes.

 

Appendix: The ‘Executive’ comprises the Chair, Chair-Elect, Honorary Secretary & Treasurer of BSUG.

The ‘Executive Committee’ comprises the Chair, Chair-Elect, Honorary Secretary & Treasurer of BSUG as well as all of the Chairs of BSUG Committees.

A Member of BSUG is deemed a fully paid up person.

Should the timing of an election coincide with the AGM – then a show of hands vote at the AGM will be deemed to suffice to elect vacant positions, this is in place on an online election. Members attending the AGM are eligible to vote.