I. Principles
A. Types of vote
During an Agora our association uses different types of votes. Some are more frequently used than others but even if they are different on many points, we need to quote them quickly:
- Vote by acclamation (clapping)
- Indicative Voting (red and green indicative ballot papers)
- Online Voting (Online Membership System)
- Vote with ballot papers (secret voting for elections)
B. Majority requirements
Depending on the importance of the vote, the concept of majority can be adapted and led to the recognition of 3 types of majority in all voting systems:
- Simple majority: is obtained when there is more votes in favour than against. In that case, abstention votes cannot be assimilated as votes against. For instance if you have 120 votes but only 100 are valid, a simple majority is characterized if there is 34 votes in favour, 33 against and 33 abstention.
- Absolute majority (50%+1 vote): is obtained when in favour votes represent more than 50% of all the valid votes. Against and abstention lead to the same result: a negative vote. For instance if there is 120 votes but only 100 valid, an absolute majority is characterized when there is 51 votes in favour, 29 against and 20 abstentions (100 votes = 100%, 100-29-20 = 51%). But this is not the case if there is 34 votes in favour, 33 against and 33 abstentions (100 votes = 100%, 100-33-33 = 33%).
- Qualified majority or 2/3 majority (66,6%+1 vote): is obtained when in favour votes represent more than 66,6% of all the valid votes. For instance if there is 120 votes but only 100 are valid, a qualified majority is characterized when there is 68 votes in favour, 19 against, 13 abstentions (100 votes= 100%, 100-19-13 = 68 %). But this is not the case if there is 66 votes in favour, 20 against and 14 abstentions (100 votes= 100%, 100-20-14= 66 %).
C. Elections
5. Working Group Coordinators
D. Changes of the CIA
E. Others
II. Procedure
A. Vote by acclamation
In order to organize a valid vote by acclamation, the following steps are required:
1) The proposal is fielded
2) The Chairperson asks the Agora whether the Proposal can be ratified by acclamation
3) Pause : it gives time for anyone to present an objection (3 minutes)
4) UPON NO OBJECTION BEING RAISED: then the Chair states, “Then I ask the Agora to ratify this proposal by acclamation” => Upon a round of applause, the proposal is deemed accepted.
or
4) AN OBJECTION IS RAISED: then the Chair take the name, surname and antenna of the objecter.
5) If the Quorum of registered Antennae is reached an online voting will be set and announced by the Juridical Commission.
6) If no Quorum is reached, or any technical complication, roll call: All the Antennae will be called upon separately stating their amount of votes, how many of these in favor, abstention or against.
B. Vote with ballots
1) Organisation
a) Ballots requirements:
1) ALL BALLOTS PAPERS: must have
- The name of the statutory event on which the vote takes place
- A sign of approval by the Juridical Commission: the stamp of the JC
- A short explanation on how to fulfil correctly the ballot
2) VOTING BALLOTS: must contain the following printed informations
- What you are voting for;
- How many votes you have;
- More than one option must be available to choose;
- There must be an option given to vote abstention.
- The total maximum of distributed vote that cannot be exceed
3) ELECTION BALLOTS: must contain the following printed informations
- For which election you a are voting for;
- The amount of people that can be elected for this function;
- The amount of votes that may be cast;
- The names of the candidates: in case the candidates list has been closed at the time of printing
- Extra lines for names of the candidates: in the case that the candidates list has not been closed before the time of printing, it may be necessary for the voter to write down the names of the candidates themselves.
- The order of names must be the same on all ballots and the names have to be written correctly;
b) Preparation and distribution
Ballots for votings and elections are prepared by the Juridical Commission before the Agora. In cooperation with the IT responsible and the Local Organisers, they are printed, cut, stamped then put in envelopes. Before the first voting session, the Juridical Commission is entrusted to provide every AEGEE antennae and partner association with a set of ballot papers which are regulated in accordance to Article 16 of the Statutes. Ballots can only be given during time allocated for the registration of AEGEE-Europe. Exceptions can be made by the President of the Juridical Commission.
c) Boxes
For each voting or election, a big enough box should be provide by the local organisers on request in advance by the Juridical Commission.
2) Plenary and voting instructions
During the plenary sessions and at every prytanium, it is the Juridical Commission representative who is responsible in explaining the voting procedure. Nonetheless, the first organisational instructions are given by the chairperson or the vice-chairperson.
a) Chair
The chair tells to the audience that only delegates shall remain for the voting session, while the other participants should leave the plenary room. After all the visitors and envoys leave, the chair team asks the organisers to put one organizer to each door, making sure that no one enters or leaves the plenary room during the entire voting session. After JC explains the procedure to vote, the delegates vote for each election one by one. When everybody finishes voting, they come ( generally row by row ) and put their ballots papers into corresponding boxes. It is also important that the plenary room is extremely silent and no one walks around.
b) Juridical Commission
The JC explains the exact rules and procedure of filling in the ballot papers to the delegates, and then goes through each voting one by one, when they make sure that all the delegates finished voting
Boxes have to be clearly identified (copy of the ballot sticked on it) and open at the start of each voting session and showed empty to the delegates assembly. They will be closed (except a small voting space) during the period in which the delegates are fulfilling their ballots and sealed before all the delegates leave the plenary room.
Right after all the ballot papers are put into the boxes, they are sealed and verified (through a signature on the box) by the Chairperson of the Agora. The sealed boxes are put into the Counting Room