DEMOCRACY COMMITTEE RULING
On Sunday 7th May 2023, an email was received from one of the Easter By-Election candidates requesting a phone call to detail concerns about the Easter By-Elections.
On Monday 8th May 2023, a phone call took place where concerns were raised about the BME Sabbatical Officer role. A request was made to rename the role before voting opened tomorrow, and for voting to be postponed to allow this to happen.
All information received was reviewed by the Democracy Committee and the following ruling has been made;
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Easter By-Election voting will not be postponed as the process to confirm dates has already taken place and the by-election period has already begun.
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The Democracy Committee doesn’t have the power to unilaterally change the BME Sabbatical Officer role, and where the by-election period for the role has already begun, the name and role cannot change for this election.
The concerns raised will be included in an upcoming democracy review, and an invitation has been extended to the individual who has raised the concerns to be involved in further consultations.
The following steps will be taken over the Easter By-Election voting period:
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Promoting and sharing the elections to societies and groups within the University of Cambridge.
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Clearer promotion of self-identification for the BME and Women's Officer roles.
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An article on the SU website that has further information about the BME and Women's Officer roles.