July 03 2018
Candidate Selection Rules and Procedures
Candidate Selection Rules and Procedures
Preamble: The United Conservative Party respects and values the members
of the Party and the significant role of the Constituency Association as the
primary organization through which the rights of members are exercised. The UCP
strongly endorses the democratic selection of our candidates and requires Constituency Associations to abide by the Candidate SelectionRules and Procedures as set out in this document. The UCP requires that all Constituency Associations
provide organizational and financial support to the Party's candidate for their
riding with the goal being to elect a UCP MLA.
1. GENERAL
1.1. In these Rules:
1.1.1. "AIP" shall mean the Agreement in Principle on the
establishment of the United Conservative Party dated May 18, 2017;
1.1.2. "Applicant" shall mean a person seeking to become a
nomination contestant;
1.1.3. "Application" shall mean cumulative documents referred
to in clause 4.5 and the
appropriate payments referred to in clause 4.6;
1.1.4. "CA" shall mean the registered constituency
association of the United
Conservative Party;
1.1.5. "CA Board" shall mean the board of directors of the
registered constituency association of the United Conservative Party;
1.1.6. "CA President" shall mean the President of the
registered constituency association of the United Conservative Party;
1.1.7. "Candidate" shall mean a person who has been elected or acclaimed as a result of a Nomination
Event or who has been appointed under section 8.3 of these Rules.
1.1.8. "EFCDA" shall mean the Election Finances and
Contribution Disclosure Act, RSA 2000, c E-2 as amended from time to time;
1.1.9. "Executive Director" shall mean the Executive Director
of the United Conservative Party;
1.1.10. "Event Notice" shall mean the notice sent by the
United Conservative Party describing the nature and details of the
nomination event;
1.1.11. "LCNC" shall mean the Local Constituency Nomination Committee as set out in section 2 of
these Rules;
1.1.12. "LCNC Chair" shall mean the Chair of the Local Constituency Nomination Committee;
1.1.13. "NC" shall
mean the Nomination Committee as set out in section 7 of the AIP;
1.1.14. "Nomination
Contestant" shall mean a person who has met the requirements set out in
section 4.1 of these Rules;
1.1.15. "Nomination
Event" shall mean the process outlined in section 7 of the Rules;
1.1.16. "Nomination
Petition" shall mean the petitions outlined in section 4.6 of these Rules;
1.1.17. "Opening
Notice" shall mean the notice sent by the United Conservative Party
declaring a nomination contest open and setting out
the date that nominations will close as described in section 5.1 of these Rules;
1.1.18. "Party"
shall mean the United Conservative Party;
1.1.19. "Party
Board" shall mean the Interim Joint Board until the first AGM of the United
Conservative Party and the Board of Directors of the United Conservative Party thereafter.
1.1.20. "Rules" means the rules and procedures set out in this document as amended from time to time.
1.1.21. "RO" means
the Returning Officer for a nomination contest as set out in section 7.6 of these
2. LOCAL CONSTITUENCY NOMINATION COMMITTEE
2.1. Each board shall appoint an LCNC for the purposes of nominating
a candidate to represent the party in the next election. The LCNC shall
administer the local portion of the Nomination Contest in consultation with the
Executive Director or their designate and in accordance with these rules, the
Bylaws and any applicable laws including nomination contest spending and
contribution limits.
2.2. The LCNC shall be comprised of:
2.2.1. Three CA Board members;
2.2.2. No more than two members at large of the CA;
2.2.3. The Executive Director or their designate;
2.2.4. The LCNC shall select one of its members to be the chair;
2.3. LCNC members must sign a NC approved waiver that will declare they maintain confidentiality and neutrality and pledge
to not become a nomination candidate.
3. CRITERIA FOR COMMENCEMENT OF CANDIDATE
NOMINATION PROCESS
3.1. CAs should meet the following criteria prior to being authorized
to have their nomination opened:
3.1.1. Have at least one hundred and fifty (150) members;
3.1.2. Have at least $3,000 in their CA bank account;
3.1.3. Have provided the Executive Director or their designate a
proposed budget for the nomination contest that includes the estimated total
cost of holding the nomination contest.
3.2. The LCNC may indicate to the executive director their desire to
open their local nomination.
3.3. The Executive Director or their designate has the authority to
open any nomination in consultation with the NC.
4. APPLICATION
4.1. "Nomination Contestant" means an Applicant who has:
4.1.1. Provide a completed application form, all necessary payments,
forms and petitions to the Executive Director or their designate.
4.1.2. Who has been interviewed by the LCNC, and whose application has
been approved by both the LCNC and the NC.
4.2. An Applicant must comply with the Election Finances and
Contributions Disclosure Act and register with Elections Alberta as soon as they commit one of the following:
4.2.1. When the person has announced his or her intention to seek nomination;
4.2.2. When the person has incurred campaign expenses in relation to
their nomination campaign; or
4.2.3. When the person has received contributions in relation to their
nomination campaign.
4.3. Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements at the time of the
Application:
4.3.1. The Applicant must be eligible to be a candidate under the Elections Act and the Election
Contribution and Financial Disclosure Act;
4.3.2. The Applicant must have been a member of the party for at least
six months from the opening of the nomination, unless subject to a waiver being
granted by the Executive Director or their designate
4.3.3. In accordance with the provisions of the CA Rules, have taken a
leave of absence from all CA and Party boards.
4.4. Any eligible person wishing to be an Applicant shall provide a
completed application form, all necessary payments, forms and petitions to the
Executive Director or their designate.
4.5. The Applicant shall provide to the Executive Director, as part
of the Application, the following payments:
4.5.1. A $500 to the CA in the constituency for which they are seeking
the nomination. This fee is non-refundable and is not a donation.
4.5.2. A $500 fee to the United Conservative Party. This fee is non-refundable and is not a donation.
4.5.3. A $1000 certified cheque, bank draft, or money order payable to
the Party to serve as a good conduct bond. The good conduct bond will be
returned at the end of the next general election at the discretion of the
Executive Director or their desig nate.
4.6. An Applicant must provide an original candidate Nomination
Petition, in the required form, signed by 50 UCP members in good standing who
reside in the constituency. If the constituency has less than 300 members on
the date of the opening notice, the applicant must obtain signatures from at
least 1/3rd of the membership.
4.7. Applicants will only be allowed one application before the
Party at any given time. An Applicant may submit another Application in a
different Nomination Contest, which will be treated as a new Application, only
following the conclusion of a Nomination Contest, the reject ion/ withdrawal of their Application, or their withdrawal of an Applicant from
the Nomination Contest.
5. APPLICATION PROCESS
5.1. Applications should be sent in as soon as a potential candidate
starts campaigning. A nomination candidate must request within seven days of
the Opening Notice being sent. Nominations shall close at 5:00 p.m. MT fourteen days after the Opening Notice is sent. It is the
responsibility of the Applicant to ensure that a complete Application and a completed Nomination Petition
are received prior to the close of nominations at the Party off ice. In the event the Application is untimely or incomplete it will
not be considered.
5.2. The Executive Director or their designate will forward portions
of the Application to the LCNC Chair in preparation for the LCNC interview of the
Applicant. An Applicant shall be interviewed by the LCNC at any time from when the Opening Notice is sent
to three days after the close of nominations.
5.3. If a majority of the LCNC believes that there may because to
reject an Applicant, they shall inform the Executive Director who shall
immediately inform the NC. The NC shall endeavor to render a decision to
approve or reject an Applicant within four (4) days of receiving word from the
LCNC that there may because to reject said Applicant.
5.4. The NC has the discretion to reject an Applicant on any grounds
it sees fit. The LCNC has no authority to reject an Applicant but shall report
to the NC any grounds upon which it believes an Applicant should be rejected.
The NC may reject an Applicant whether or not the LCNC has expressed a belief
that there may because to do so. The NC also has the authority to disqualify a
Nomination Contestant and to remove a Candidate on any grounds it sees fit.
5.5. As soon as possible after the close of membership sales has passed, the Party shall provide each Nomination Contestant with a list
of members eligible to vote at the Nomination Event(s).
Nomination Contestants will have a maximum of forty-eight (48) hours to forward
corrections to the list to the Party for review and appropriate action. If
necessary, an updated list will be sent to all Nomination Contestants.
6. NOMINATION PERIOD
6.1. The Nomination Period shall have the following components:
6.1.1. Fourteen calendar days during which Applications and
6.1.1.1. Nomination Petitions are accepted and during which
individuals may purchase or renew their Party memberships and
so be eligible to vote in a Nomination Event, and;
6.1.2. If a Nomination Event is required, a campaign period of at least
twenty-one calendar days but not more than twenty-eight calendar days following
the close of nominations as set out in section 5.1.
6.1.3. The Executive Director or their designate can permit a
Nomination Event to occur earlier or later if they deem necessary.
7. NOMINATION EVENT
7.1. If following the close of nominations there is only one
Nomination Contestant, the LCNC shall acclaim that person the Candidate. If
following the close of nominations, the LCNC determines that a Nomination
Contestant has not been acclaimed a Nomination Event must be held.
7.2. The local LCNC shall choose the type of Nomination Event. A Nomination
Event may be a single nomination meeting at a specific date, time and place; or
multiple nomination meetings at various dates, times and places. Only rural CAs should contemplate having voting on various dates and at various places.
7.3. The Executive Director or their designate has the final
responsibility to determine if a proposed Nomination Event contributes to a
fair and impartial nomination process.
7.4. Voting shall occur by means of a single preferential ballot
wherein the eligible voters numerically rank the Nomination Contestants in
sequence of their choice.
7.5. New membership sales who can
vote in the Nomination Event close twenty-one days before the voting begins. If
voting is taking place on numerous dates you must be a member twenty-one days
prior to the first vote to receive a ballot.*
7.6. The Executive Director or their designate will appoint an
impartial Returning Officer for every Nomination Event.
7.6.1. The RO shall supervise the credentialing of voters. The Party shall provide supplementary Rules
and instructions for credentialing.
7.6.2. Photo ID is required and statuary declarations will not be allowed
7.6.3. The RO shall supervise the voting and vote count and declare the
result of the count. The RO or the Executive Director or their designate can
appoint deputy ROs to supervise a Nomination Event.
7.6.4. The RO shall retain possession and custody of the ballots and
the voter sign in sheets for fourteen calendar days for delivery, if requested,
to the Party. If not so requested, the ballots shall be fully and completely
destroyed after the expiration of the fourteen-calendar day period. If so
requested, confirmation of destruction shall be provided by the RO.
7.7. No business other than the selection of a Candidate shall be conducted at the
Nomination Event.
7.8. On the ballot, the Nomination Contestants shall be listed in
alphabetical order by surname.
7.9. In CAs where factors such as geography, weather and
transportation hinder members from attending at a single location, the LCNC may
direct, or upon request from the Board may authorize, that the Nomination Event
take place at nomination meetings held at two or more times and locations.
7.10. Ballots shall be
marked in secret.
7.11. Proxy voting is not permitted.
* All Nomination Contests that opened on or
before May 28, 2018 are required to follow the previous rules timeline of a
fourteen-day window: New membership sales who can vote in the Nomination
Event close fourteen days before the voting begins. If voting is taking
place on numerous dates you must be a member fourteen days prior to the first
vote to receive a ballot.
8. ABRIDGEMENT OF THE RULES
8.1. In the case of a surprise election the Party Board may modify
these Rules as they deem necessary.
8.2. If deemed to be in the best interest of the
Party, and in consultation with the NC, the Leader may appoint up to four
candidates in four constituencies.
9. NOTICES OF A NOMINATION and NOMINATION EVENTS
9.1. All notices under these Rules shall be sent by the Party to all members in good standing in the constituency. The Opening Notice
shall open nominations in the CA and shall specify that nominations close in 14
calendar days.
9.2. If a Nomination Event is required, the Party shall provide
details to all members in good standing in that constituency.
9.3. The CA Board may choose to, at its own expense, additionally mail copies of notices to members of the CA eligible to vote. Such notice by mail will be sent by the Party to the members'
addresses of record on file with the Party off ice.
10. DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND APPEAL PROCESS
10.1. If the NC rejects an
Applicant, disqualifies a Nomination Contestant, or removes a Candidate, that
person may appeal to the Party Board.
10.2. The Executive Director
or their designate shall immediately bring any appeal to the attention of the
Party Board.
10.3. The decision of the
Party Board on an appeal is final and binding and is not subject to further
appeal or review on any ground whatsoever.
11. MEMBERSHIP PROCESSING
11.1. A person who has
publicly declared themselves to be seeking a nomination in a constituency, must
process and submit any and all sold memberships to the party office by the end
of every week using the party's approved format.
May 2018