AUSU is hiring a Chief Returning Officer (CRO) for 2022 General Election

AUSU is hiring a Chief Returning Officer (CRO) for its upcoming 2022 General Election for Student Council and Indigenous Circle

Application Deadline: January 12, 2022

The Athabasca University Students’ Union (AUSU) is currently accepting applications to fill the role of Chief Returning Officer (CRO) for its upcoming 2022 General Election for Student Council and Indigenous Circle. The CRO, working with the AUSU staff, is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the election process, including but not limited to:

accepting nominations and verifying the eligibility of nominees;
informing candidates of campaign policy;
enforcing campaign policy;
confirming voter eligibility;
confirming ballot counts from electronic voting system;
reporting election results to Council; and
conducting any election appeals, unless the CRO is the subject of the appeal.

The CRO will be provided with a CRO Manual regarding all duties and responsibilities, election forms, and all other materials needed for the role by January 24, 2022, to be reviewed prior to nominations opening on February 8, 2022. There will also be an informal half-hour orientation session scheduled within that timeframe.

The CRO duties begin on February 8, 2022, with the beginning of the call for nominations for the election. The CRO position will continue until approximately March 22, 2022, which is the end of the initial appeals period. In the event of an appeal, the position may extend 1-2 weeks longer to accommodate. The anticipated time commitment is approximately 35-55 hours inside the 7-to-9-week election period.

The CRO position can be performed from any location and requires telephone, email, and internet capability. The CRO must be available to respond to inquiries within one business day (in some cases during the AUSU office hours of 8:30-4:30 pm MT, and must be available on March 15, 2022, to submit the ballot count to AUSU following the close of the election at midnight MT on Monday, March 14, 2022. Proficiency in Word and Excel is required.

The successful candidate will receive a $1,500 honorarium upon successful completion of the role. If you are interested in this position, please email your resume, a cover letter, and any questions to executivedirector@ausu.org. Previous experience is an asset.

For further information on this role and the AUSU Election process, please refer to our AUSU Election Conduct Policy 3.01 found online here.