Election regulation

Chapter 1: General guidelines

§ 1 Scope of the regulations These rules apply to the election of

rector and pro-rector

other elected board representatives

department boards

at Molde University College.

§ 2 Definitions In these regulations, the following definitions apply:

Direct election: Election where those who have the right to vote elect people to office and organ.

Electronic election: Election where those who have the right to vote can vote electronically.

Majority election: The candidate who has either received the most votes, or a majority of the

votes cast, is elected.

Simple majority: The candidate who has received the most votes is elected.

General majority: The candidate who has received more than half of the votes cast is elected.

Re-election: Election after annulled election, announced on the basis of the same electoral roll and the same candidates as at the announcement of the election.

New election: Election after annulled election, announced as an ordinary election, but with shorter deadlines.

Election period: The period during which it is possible to cast votes.

The Board: The Board of Molde University College.

Term of office: The period one is elected to function in the office.

Election result: Overview of the votes cast.

§ 3 Election Board

1. The Election Board is responsible for the preparation and implementation of elections under these regulations.

2. The Election Board has five members with the following distribution: One representative for academic staff, two representatives for technical and administrative staff and two representatives from the students.

3. The same number of deputy representatives as representatives from each voting group shall be appointed.

4. The University College Director appoints the Election Board, with the exception of student representatives who are appointed by the Student Parliament at Molde University College.

5. The Board itself appoints the chair and any deputy chair of the Election Board among the representatives of the employees.

6. The term of office of the Election Board is four years, with the exception of student representatives, who are appointed for one year. The term of office of the Election Board follows the term of office of the University College Board.

7. The University College Director, or the person he/she appoints, is the secretary of the Election Board. The secretary of the Election Board does not have the right to vote in the Election Board.

8. If a member of the Election Board is proposed for election to an organ, he/she shall withdraw from the Election Board for the rest of the election work and at the election settlement for the relevant election.

9. The Election Board has a quorum when more than half of the appointed representatives are present. Decisions are made by a simple majority. In the event of a tie, the chair’s vote is decisive. A member of the Election Board can bring a decision in this to the university’s appeal board. The complaint must be submitted in the meeting.

§ 4 Implementation of elections

1. Elections under these regulations are conducted as electronic elections (direct elections), as far as possible.

2. The Election Board determines the time of the elections, including deadlines for submitting proposals for candidates.

3. The Election Board is responsible for publishing general information about elections on the university’s websites for employees and students well in advance of the elections.

4. The election shall be announced at least four weeks before the election starts. The announcement shall contain information about:

election time

who is eligible

who has the right to propose

requirements for the number of proposers

deadline for submitting proposals for candidates

who is included in the electoral roll

opportunity to withdraw proposal for candidate and deadline for this.

the candidate’s rights

contact information for the election

5. No election of employees can take place before after the election of rector and pro-rector.

§ 5 Voting groups and constituencies

1. Elections take place in the following voting groups:

GROUP A: Employees in teaching and research positions

GROUP B: Technical and administrative staff

GROUP C: Students

If the temporary employees in teaching and research positions constitute more than 25% of permanent employees at the university college, these shall constitute a separate voting group.

2. Deans vote in group A. Research fellows vote in group A.

3. Each voting group constitutes one constituency in the election to a governing body. In elections to department boards, employees in teaching and research positions at the department constitute one constituency, and students affiliated with the department one constituency. Employees in technical and administrative positions constitute one common constituency.

§ 6 Electoral roll

1. The University College Director or the person he/she appoints in his place is the electoral roll officer. The electoral roll shall be announced at least four weeks before the election.

§ 7 Voting rights for employees

1. Those who have the right to vote are those who when the election starts:

a) are permanently employed in at least half a position or b) are employed or engaged for at least one year in at least half a position or

c) have been continuously employed or engaged for at least one year in at least half a position

2. In the case of leave without pay, the right to vote is lost. This does not apply to the person who during the leave period is employed in another position at Molde University College which does not give the right to vote.

3. In the case of leave with pay, the right to vote is lost if the person works in a position other than at Molde University College.

4. If the university college is the employer, the employee has the right to vote, regardless of the source of funding. Apprentices and employees on employment measures do not have the right to vote.

5. Those who have the right to vote as employees do not simultaneously have the right to vote as students, cf. § 8. - [broken link]

§ 8 Voting rights for students

Those who are registered as students and have paid the semester fee for the semester in which the election is conducted, have the right to vote. Those who have the right to vote as students do not simultaneously have the right to vote as employees cf § 7. - [broken link]

§ 9 Proposals for candidates

Those who have the right to vote in an election have the right to propose a candidate for the same election.

The proposal must be in writing and submitted to the Election Board within the deadline set by the Election Board.

The proposers can withdraw a proposal up to one week before the deadline for submitting proposals. If a proposal

is withdrawn, the Election Board shall immediately inform the candidate about this.

A candidate can withdraw until the election has started, and after the election has been decided.

The Election Board shall in both cases inform the voters about the updated list of candidates.

A proposal for a candidate to a governing body must be submitted by at least the same number

proposers as the number of candidates the proposal contains.

A proposer cannot propose himself/herself as a candidate.

A proposal for a rector candidate must have at least five proposers.

No one can be a proposer for more than one proposal.

The person who is proposed as a candidate shall immediately be informed by the Election Board about this.

The Election Board announces the incoming and approved proposals for candidates to the voters as soon as the deadline for proposals is out, normally not less than 2 weeks before the election starts. If it is justifiable, the Election Board can announce the proposals later.

§ 10 Search committee for board, rector and pro-rector elections

1. Mandate

The University College Director establishes a search committee that will actively contribute to identifying and presenting good internal/external rector and pro-rector candidates and candidates for the board.

The search committee should actively encourage students and employees to propose candidates.

Members of the search committee can independently propose candidates.

The search committee presents candidates who have been proposed by those with voting rights and candidates proposed by the search committee.

The search committee will ensure that all candidates prepare a presentation of themselves.

The search committee will present all candidates at the start of the election campaign by written information and by arranging one or more election meetings.

The search committee does not prioritize between the candidates.

The candidates’ eligibility is decided by the election board, which also publishes the candidates.

2. Composition:

One permanent employee in teaching and research position from each department at Molde University College

One employee in technical and administrative position

One student

One representative from the board

3. Appointment and term of office

Prior to each board, rector and pro-rector election, the University College Director appoints employee representatives to the search committee based on proposals from the departments and the administration. The student representative is appointed by the Student Parliament. The board’s representative is appointed by the board. The search committee constitutes itself and elects its own leader.

§ 11 Right to vote in dispute about voting rights

1. Those who are denied the right to vote, or those who for other reasons are not found in the electoral roll at the time of the election, should still be given the opportunity to vote. The election board registers the vote in the way they consider appropriate.

§ 12 Election protocol

1. The outcome of elections under these regulations shall be entered in a separate election protocol which shall be signed by the election board and sent to the archive manager for archiving and reporting to the board. Notification of the outcome of the election shall be sent to the University College Director and announced immediately.

§ 13 Eligibility for governing bodies

1. All who have the right to vote according to § 7 - [broken link] and § 8 - [broken link] are eligible, with the following exceptions:

Employees in assignment positions and research fellows who have their main affiliation with Molde University College, but are paid by another institution, are not eligible for election to the board.

Deans, director and administrative leaders cannot be elected to the board.

Office managers and administrative leaders cannot be elected to the department boards.

No one can be re-elected as a board member if he/she will have served in this office for a continuous period of eight years at the beginning of the new term of office.

2. Those who are on leave from their position at the time of the election are still eligible if it can be expected that they will be able to function in the office from the start of the election period.

3. Norwegian is the official working language at Molde University College. To perform the board office, eligible candidates must have very good understanding of Norwegian. Board meetings must be conducted without an interpreter and translated documents.

§ 14 Eligibility for rector and pro-rector

1. Employees at Molde University College and external candidates can be elected as rector.

2. Pro-rector must be elected among scientific employees at Molde University College

§ 15 Withdrawal during the term of office

A member of a governing body can resign from the office at any time.

Those who hold a position of trust under these regulations shall resign when eligibility ceases.

Those who are on leave from Molde University College during the term of office, resign from the office for as long as the leave lasts.

If the rector resigns before the term of office is over, a new rector must be elected. If the rector is unable to attend or resigns from the office during the last year of the term of office, the board itself can determine that the pro-rector takes over.

When a member of a governing body resigns, the deputy member moves up to a permanent place.

Resignation shall be reported to the election board.

§ 16 Gender balance

1. The requirements of the Equality Act for representation of both genders must be met within each constituency, as far as possible.

2. If it appears at the count in the majority election that one gender will have fewer representatives than this, candidates from the underrepresented gender for whom votes have been cast move up, until such balance has been achieved.

3. These requirements also apply to the election of deputy members (in constituencies consisting of one representative, the deputy representative must be of the opposite gender).

Chapter 2: Election of rector and pro-rector

§ 17 Term of office

1. The rector and pro-rector are elected every fourth year. No one can be re-elected as rector or pro-rector if he/she will have served in this office for a continuous period of eight years at the beginning of the new term of office.

§ 18 Form of election

1. Election of rector and pro-rector takes place by ordinary majority. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes in the first round of voting, there will be a new round of voting with the two candidates who received the most votes.

2. If there is only one candidate in the election, the election is conducted in the usual way. Blank votes are discarded, so that it is the approved and weighted votes that give the result.

§ 19 Weighting of votes

1. In the election of the rector, the votes within each constituency are counted separately.

Administrative and technical staff and permanent employees in teaching and research positions form a common constituency in the rector election. In the final count, the votes for the two constituencies are weighted according to the following distribution key:

a. Employees 75%

b. Students 25%

Chapter 3: Election to the University College Board

§ 20. Composition of the Board

1. The board has eleven representatives with the following distribution among the groupings:

Rector (chair of the board)

Pro-rector (deputy chair of the board)

Two representatives elected among employees in teaching and research positions

One representative elected among the technical and administrative staff

Two representatives elected among the students

Four external representatives

2. If the temporary employees in teaching and research positions constitute more than 25% of the employees in teaching and research positions, this group shall elect one of the board members from the employees in teaching and research positions.

§ 21 The election. The term of office

1. The term of office for the rector, pro-rector and representatives from the employees starts on August 1 and lasts for four years. The term of office for student representatives starts on August 1 and lasts for one year.

2. Student representatives on the board and their deputies are elected every year.

3. The term of office for any board members for the group of temporary employees in teaching and research positions, and their deputies, is one year. A separate election is conducted for this group.

4. No one can be re-elected as a board member if he/she has served continuously in the office for the last eight years at the beginning of the new term of office.

5. Each voter can vote for up to as many candidates as there are to be elected permanent representatives on the board from the constituency.

§ 22 Deputy members

1. In elections to the board and department boards, at least as many deputy members as members should be elected within each group in numbered order.

2. Deputies are elected at the same time as ordinary board members, and are the representatives who receive the most votes after the permanent representatives have been elected.

§ 23 Form of election

1. The elections are conducted as majority elections. The one(s) who get the most votes are elected to an ordinary board seat. If several candidates receive the same number of votes, the outcome is determined by drawing lots.

Chapter 4: Election to department boards § 24 Composition of the department boards The department board consists of:

dean

four representatives elected by and among employees in teaching and research positions

one employee elected by and among employees in technical and administrative positions

two students

The dean is the leader of the department board. If the department board itself wishes, the board is expanded with an external member.

Chapter 4: Election to department boards

§ 24 Composition of the department boards

The department board consists of:

Dean

Four representatives elected by and among employees in teaching and research positions

One employee elected by and among employees in technical and administrative positions

Two students

The dean is the leader of the department board. If the department board itself wishes, the board is expanded with an external member.

§ 25 Election to department boards

1. Representatives for employees are elected for two years. Representatives for students are elected for one year.

2. The department board itself elects any deputy leader

3. The board appoints any external members in the department board.

4. Within each constituency, at least as many deputy members as members should be elected in numbered order.

5. Deputies are elected at the same time as ordinary board members, and are the representatives who receive the most votes after the permanent representatives.

Chapter 5: Complaint

§ 26 Complaint

1. Complaint about the electoral roll must be submitted to the electoral roll officer no later than two weeks before the election starts. The complaint is decided by the election board.

2. Those who have the right to vote in an election can complain about errors made in connection with proposals for candidates. The complaint must be submitted to the election board no later than two working days after proposals for candidates have been made known.

3. Those who have the right to vote in an election can complain about errors made in the election. The complaint must be submitted to the election board no later than one week after the result of the election has been made known.

4. The election board can decide that there should be a recount or new election settlement where this is sufficient to correct any errors. The new election settlement can be appealed according to point 1 above.

5. If the election board accepts any complaint, and this cannot be corrected by a recount or new election settlement, there should be a re-election or new election. This should be held as soon as possible. Until a re-election or new election has taken place, those who are elected in an invalid election are considered legally elected.

6. If the election board does not find grounds to accept the complaint, the complaint is immediately forwarded to the university’s appeal board. The election board can comment on the complaint in connection with it being forwarded. The statements should then be made known to the complainant.

7. If the appeal board believes that an error has been made that may have had a significant impact on the election outcome, and this error cannot be corrected by a recount or new election settlement, there should be a re-election or new election. This should be held as soon as possible. Until a re-election or new election has taken place, those who are elected in an invalid election are considered legally elected.

Chapter 6: Final provisions

§ 27 Supplementary rules

1. The election board provides supplementary rules to these regulations when they find it necessary.

§ 28 Implementation and repeal date

1. These regulations come into force on August 1, 2024

2. The regulations replace previously adopted supplementary rules and guidelines.