REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL ELECTION 2023 OF THE STUDENT UNION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VAASA

ELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT*

*Translator’s note: the official election announcement (Vaalikuulutus) was given in Finnish on 21.8.2023. This document is a translation of the contents of the Finnish source text for the sake of accessibility, but is not official in the same capacity as the original Finnish document.

The representative council election of 2023 is held to elect 30 members and 30 deputy members to the representative council of the Student Union for a 2 year term that begins on 1.1.2024. 

Right to vote: All members of the Student Union who are enrolled as attending at the University of Vaasa, no later than 14 days before the first election day, have the right to vote in the representative council election. The right to vote can only be used personally. The right to vote is confirmed from the electoral register.

Electoral register: The electoral register lists the names of those who have the right to vote. The electoral register will be published on the Student Union’s official notice board by 12.00 on 10.10.2023. Any demands for changes to the electoral register must be delivered in writing to the Secretary General of the Student Union by 12.00 on 24.10.2023.

Candidacy: All eligible Student Union members may enter the election as a candidate. All Student Union members who have enrolled as attending at the University of Vaasa on the election year by 8.10.2023 at the latest are eligible for candidacy. In the election, eligible Student Union members may enter the election as candidates by themselves or with other eligible Student Union members.

Declaration of candidacy: To declare their candidacy in the election, an eligible member of the Student Union must deliver the required election documents (declaration of candidacy or declaration of electoral coalition with its declarations of candidacy or declaration of electoral ring with its declarations of electoral coalition and declarations of candidacy). The election documents are to be delivered to the Student Union office meeting room between 10.00–14.00 on 10.10.2023. The election documents can also be delivered to the Secretary General of the Student Union at other times or by e-mail by 14.00 on 10.10.2023 at the latest.
 
Eligible Student Union members can enter the election as a non-partisan candidate by filling out and signing the declaration of candidacy form and delivering it to the Central Election Board according to the Central Election Board instructions.

Candidates can form an electoral coalition together by filling out the declaration of electoral coalition form. The original declarations of candidacy must be included as attachments in the declaration of electoral coalition form

Two or more electoral coalitions can merge to form a new electoral coalition by filling out the declaration of electoral coalition merge. The original declarations of candidacy and declarations of electoral coalition must be included as attachments in the declaration of electoral coalition merge.

Non-partisan candidates and an electoral coalition or two or more electoral coalitions may form an electoral ring by filling out the declaration of electoral ring form. The original declarations of candidacy and declarations of the electoral coalition must be included as attachments in the declaration of the electoral ring. 

More information: Specific instructions for filling out the election documents are available at the Student Union office and on the Student Union website.

Election documents: Copies of the election document forms are available at the Student Union service office during opening hours from Tuesday 12.9.2023 at 10.00 onwards. The election document forms will also be available online on the Student Union website.

Combined candidate list: The combined candidate list is an exhaustive list of the election’s candidates and their candidate numbers. The combined candidate list will be published on the Student Union notice board by 12.00 on 17.10.2023.

Electioneering: The candidates may begin their electioneering after the combined candidate list has been published, which will be by 12.00 on 17.10.2023. The Central Election Board will give specific instructions on electioneering by 16.00 on 26.9.2023. The proxies are responsible for the electioneering activities of candidates in their electoral coalitions. All electioneering advertisement material must be removed from the campus area by 16.00 on 10.11.2023.

Early voting: The early voting days are 31.10. and 1.11.2023. The voting is open on both days between 8.00–18.00. The election is carried out with an electronic voting system.

Voting on election days: The election voting days are 7.11. and 8.11.2023. The voting is open on both days between 8.00–18.00. The election is carried out with an electronic voting system.

Official election result: The official election result is published on 8.11.2023 on the Student Union website.

Election regulations:* The election regulations are available on the Student Union website. Any questions regarding the election should be directed to the Central Election Board chair Elmo Nikula, the Secretary General of the Student Union or members of the Central Election Board.

*The election regulations are only available in Finnish (Vaalijärjestys).

Violations: Any violations of the election instructions given by the Central Election Board must be reported to the Central Election Board without delay. Violations should be reported as a written complaint to the Secretary General of the Student Union as soon as possible after the violation has been noticed, and before the election is over. 

Complaints regarding the Central Election Board: A member of the Student Union may lodge a complaint to the Student Union Board regarding the preparatory decisions, election process or activities of the Central Election Board. The Student Union Board must process and solve these complaints without delay. The complaints must be lodged in writing to the Secretary General of the Student Union at any time before the election is over. Complaints regarding the Central Election Board’s decision about the election results may be lodged to the Student Union Board within 14 days of the publishing of the election results. These complaints must be lodged in writing to the Secretary General of the Student Union by 12.00 on 22.11.2023 at the latest.

In Vaasa the 21st of August 2023

Elmo Nikula

Chair of the Central Election Board

Lauri Tuohiniemi

Secretary General of the Student Union

Additional information:

Secretary General Lauri Tuohiniemi, paasihteeri@vyy.fi, 044 324 8964

The Election announcement is available in PDF-format here.