Dear CUPE Local 1004 Members,
This is to advise that CUPE National has approved the recent changes to the Local’s bylaws. With this approval now in place, our local can now proceed with an election process for an Executive to take office when the local moves out of administration.
This notice is being provided to inform members of the positions to be filled, the order in which elections will be conducted, and the procedures for voting. Members are encouraged to review the information carefully to ensure they are informed. The full election details are presented below in the form of questions and answers, so please read through them for all the necessary information.
Active member participation is fundamental to the democratic functioning of our Local, and we encourage all eligible members to take part in the election process.
Q. What are terms of office for Executive Board positions?
A. Executive Board positions are normally elected in alternating odd- and even-numbered years for two-year terms. However, as all positions will be elected in 2026, some positions will be elected for a one-year term only.
This is necessary to re-establish the regular election cycle. As a result, elections will be held again in 2027 for the positions of President, Secretary-Treasurer, and several Lead Steward positions.
Q. What is the order in which elections will be conducted?
A. President (one year term), Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Secretary-Treasurer (one year term), Diversity Representative, Trustees, Lead Stewards (one year term for City F&M Services, Sewers, Waterworks, Parks Horticulture, Science World and Small Units).
Q. Who shall serve as the Elections Returning Officer?
A. Casey Skidmore has been appointed by the Administrator as the Elections Officer and will oversee the elections. The email to contact Casey Skidmore is: elections@cupe1004.ca
Q. How will the nomination process work for elections?
A. The nomination period for each election will remain open for a period of five (5) days.
Any member wishing to submit a nomination must do so by email to the Elections Officer, with a copy to the nominee. The nomination must clearly identify the name of the nominee and the Executive Board position for which the nomination is being submitted.
Example:
To: elections@cupe1004.ca
Cc: nominee
Dear Elections Returning Officer
Subject – Nomination for the position of (insert position)
“My name is (insert name), and I would like to nominate (insert name) for the position of (insert position).”
Q. Can a member self-nominate for a position?
A. A member can self-nominate. The process is the same as above. An email must be sent to the Elections Officer clearly identifying their name and the position for which they are nominating themselves.
Q. What happens after I email my nomination to the Elections Returning Officer?
A. The Elections Officer will reply via email to the nominator and the nominee confirming that the nominee accepts the nomination
Example:
“Dear (insert name),
You have been nominated by (insert name) for the position of (insert position). Please confirm whether or not you accept the nomination. We need to hear a response from you before the end of the nomination period, (date).”
Q. How will my nomination be accepted?
A. The nominee must reply via email to the Elections Officer confirming they accept the nomination.
Example:
To: elections@cupe1004.ca
cc: Nominator
“Dear Elections Officer,
With thanks to my nominator (insert name), I accept the nomination for the position of (insert position).”
Q. What happens after the nomination period closes?
A. The list of candidates will be emailed to members with voting details to follow.
Q. How will the voting be conducted?
A. All elections will be conducted electronically by secret ballot using the Simply Voting platform which ensures secure access and secrecy of the vote. All members will receive a secure link from Simply Voting. We will be using a preferential voting system where members will be able to rank candidates in order of their preference.
An instant run off system will be used when ballots are initially counted for each voter’s top choice
Q. Can you explain what ranking candidates means?
A. Ranked choice voting is an election method in which voters rank candidates in order of preference (first, second, third and so on).
Q. What happens if no candidate receives more than half of the votes?
A. If candidates do not receive more than half of the votes, the candidate with the least number of votes will be dropped from the list. The next preference from the dropped candidate will be counted and added to the remaining candidates totals.
If this results in a candidate receiving more than half of the votes, the candidate is elected. This process continues until a candidate has more than half of the votes.
Q. How long is the voting period?
A. There will be a voting period of 5 days, running from 0:00 (midnight/12:00am) of the first day to 23:59 (11:59pm) of the last day.
Q. How will a candidate be declared elected?
A. To be elected a candidate must receive more than half of the votes, or in the case of only one candidate for a position, that person will be elected by acclamation
Q. Once the voting period closes how will I know who was elected?
A. The Elections Returning Officer will announce the voting results via email as soon as reasonably possible.
Q. Who can nominate a person for President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Secretary Treasurer?
A. Any Local 1004 member in good standing may nominate and vote a person for the position of President, Vice President, Recording Secretary and Secretary Treasurer
For the position of Diversity Representative only those 1004 members who have self-identified to one or more equity seeking groups will be eligible to vote in the election for the Diversity Representative – the Equity seeking groups are: Women, Black and racialized people, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. A self-identification survey will be sent shortly.
If you did not receive this in email form, please contact the CUPE Local 1004 office at info@cupe1004.ca so that we can update your information in our system.
As the voting process will be conducted electronically, please ensure that the CUPE Local 1004 office has your updated personal email address.
In Solidarity,
Rob Limongelli, CUPE Local 1004 Administrator