MattBarter.ca has obtained a document issued by the Graduate Students’ Union titled “CHIEF RETURNING OFFICER REPORT – GSU GENERAL ELECTIONS 2026-27,” dated April 13, 2026, and updated April 22, 2026.
The report includes CRO appointment and mandate, candidate register, Electoral Committee, Electoral Committee decisions, voting and results, official results, material approval log, key decisions log, communications log summary, recommendations for future elections and by-law reform, acknowledgements, and certification and submission.
The first recommendation was that the Electoral Committee be struck at the February Board of Directors meeting, as required by By-Law 6.6.1, without exception, and that failure to do so this election cycle created significant procedural vulnerability and required emergency remediation “dangerously close to the voting period.”
The second recommendation was that the Board should aim for a minimum of five to seven Electoral Committee members, as recommended in the 2025 Election Report and stated that two members plus the CRO is “constitutionally thin and leaves no margin for recusals, absences, or contested decisions.”
The third recommendation was for the Board to establish “a formal open call process” for Electoral Committee recruitment well in advance of the nominations meeting, with a clear conflict-of-interest questionnaire for all nominees.
The report also included recommendations to address issues with the elections timeline, campaign rules and social media, floor nominations, voting platform and technology, candidate eligibility and complaints, AGM and Elections Forum, CRO Independence and Neutrality, and Voter Privacy and Data.
View the document below:
Matt Barter is a graduate of the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, holding a degree in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, taking walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.
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