Equity Board Seat elections: What to expect

Are you a participant or candidate in the elections for Equity positions on the OPSEU/SEFPO Executive Board? Here’s how the voting and selection process works:

1. OPSEU/SEFPO Provincial Equity Committees (from Article 19 in OPSEU/SEFPO Constitution) select/elect one representative from each group to be on the Board Equity Committee (BEC). This occurs no later than November 30 of the year preceding an OPSEU/SEFPO Executive Board election year.
2. In December preceding an election year, the Executive Committee appoints members who were selected/elected by the Provincial Equity Committees to the Board Equity Committee (BEC). The OPSEU/SEFPO Executive Board also appoints one Executive Board Member to the BEC. The President of OPSEU/SEFPO is an ex-officio member with voice but no vote.
3. In January of an election year, a call-out is sent and posted online to invite members in good standing to participate in the vote for Equity positions on the OPSEU/SEFPO Executive Board.
4. Members interested in participating in the vote and/or being a candidate for the position of Equity Executive Board Member (EEBM) will respond to the call-out and identify with one or more of the equity-deserving groups: Racialized, Indigenous, women or women-identifying, young worker, francophone, 2SLGBTQ+, and persons with a disability.
5. Interested members who identify with one or more equity-deserving groups can submit forms as participants and nominate a candidate. Nomination forms must be signed by at least one OPSEU/SEFPO member in good standing who identifies with the same equity-deserving group as the member. Members may only be nominated with one equity-deserving group at a time.
6. The BEC will verify the eligibility of both participants and candidates to participate in the election. Click here for Candidate checklist and click here for Participant checklist.
7. OPSEU/SEFPO provides members who are participants in the voting process with information provided by candidates, in order to support an exchange of information and ideas. This is done through online posting of campaign materials, webinars, Q&A, and the like.
8. The BEC coordinates a secure, confidential online voting process.
9. Participants from each equity-deserving group vote to determine their preferred candidate for the positions of Equity Board Member and Alternate Equity Board member for that group. Voting is conducted by plurality within each equity-deserving group.
10. No later than 45 days before the opening of OPSEU/SEFPO Convention, the BEC recommends the members selected by participants through online voting: 7 members for the position of Equity Executive Board Member, which includes 1 member for the position of Equity Vice-President and 1 member for the position of Alternate Equity Vice-President.
11. Prior to the opening of Convention, the OPSEU/SEFPO Executive Board will appoint as Board Members-elect the members to for which they were recommended by the BEC.
12. At OPSEU/SEFPO Convention, 28 Executive Board Members will take the oath and assume office at the close of Convention. This includes: 21 Board Members elected regionally (3 per region) and 7 Equity Board Members.