Election Rules for the East of England - second draft

Alright, so as I mentioned last night, I needed to produce some election rules. What do you think of these?...

The East of England Region Liberal Democrats are determined that elections for regional posts shall conducted in a manner that is democratic, accountable, inclusive, fair, robust and manageable.

Appointment and powers of the Returning Officer

The Returning Officer shall be appointed by the Regional Executive, and shall have the power to administer the elections as he or she feels fit, subject only to the Rules as laid out below, the requirements of the Constitution and natural justice. Guidance will be provided in written form to the Returning Officer by the Regional Executive.

How do you become a candidate?

Nominations will close at 2 p.m. on the day of the Annual General Meeting. Self-nominations shall be permitted.

What are you required to do as a candidate?

Manifestos shall be submitted no later than ten days after the declaration of poll, i.e. by the end of the tenth day after the Annual General Meeting. They shall be submitted in PDF or Word format. Candidates for Officer positions shall be entitled to one side of A4, candidates for other positions one side of A5 in landscape format, for ease of manifesto booklet production.

What are you not entitled to do as a candidate?

1. Defame or denigrate any other candidate.

2. Spend more than £50 on campaigning materials.

What will be provided to candidates?

Candidates for officer positions will be entitled to issue one e-mail to Regional Conference voting delegates, to be issued by the Regional Party at a mutually agreed time. Candidates shall provide forty-eight hours notice of their wish to use this facility, providing the text to be issued at that time.

Right of appeal

Any person believing there to have been a breach of these Rules, or of the Constitution, shall have the right of appeal to the Regional Management Committee.