Hey there Engineers! My name is Elizabeth Foran, and I am the Engineering Society A Chief Returning Officer, or CRO. What that means is that I am the one who is responsible for running the elections to find the next EngSoc Executive Team. Each team represents the society for two on-stream terms, as well as the subsequent off-stream terms as Off-Stream Executive Members.
The election process has been broken down into two separate elections for this term. There is a Presidential Election which will close as of the release date of this Iron Warrior issue and there will be an Executive Election which will be underway as of October 11th. The Executive Election will determine who will fill the positions of Vice-President Education, Vice-President External, Vice-President Finance, Vice-President Internal/Operations, and WEEF Director for the next term.
Each of the elections begins with a week-long nomination period, allowing potential candidates to get the support of their peers before becoming a potential executive member of the Society. This is followed by a five-day campaigning period during which the candidates are able to make posters, buttons, and anything else (approved) to promote themselves and make it known they are running and hoping for your votes. The day after campaigning closes, the polls open, and the fates of the candidates rest in your (the voter’s) hands. Polls are open for four to five days, over a weekend and through the start of the week.
This leads to the ever popular question, ‘Who do I vote for?’ Honestly, it’s your vote, it’s your choice; do whatever you’d like with that vote. Although, I suggest learning what you can about the candidates and picking the candidate that shares your ideals and vision for the Society. You want someone who is dependable, dedicated, and who will come through for the Society. You want a leader, a team player, a careful thinker, and a good listener; someone who will bring the best of everything to the Society. If you can’t find all that in the candidates, find someone who comes close and who will make the Engineering Society the kind of society you want to be a part of.
Now for the question of ‘How do I vote?’ Hopefully, you have some idea from the election that will close tonight, but if not, here’s what to look for: you should check your Waterloo email account for a personalized link to the Online Voting System. Click the link, read the platforms prepared, pick who you’d like to be a part of the next exec, submit it, and POOF! You just voted in the EngSoc Elections!
In advance, congrats to the new President of the Society and the best of luck to him with his future goals. Think you’d like to be a part of the Executive? Nominations open on the 11th, and the best of luck to all those who will be running.
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