Report Number 103 Of The Elections Committee
MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2025
To the Executive Committee,
University of Toronto,
Your Committee reports that it held a virtual meeting on October 20, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. with the following members present:
PRESENT: Vikram Chadalawada (Chair), Susan Froom, Mathangi (Indi) Gopinathan, Maureen Harquail, Ron Levi
SECRETARIAT:
Samantha Frost (Secretary), Timothy Harlick, Assistant Secretary of the Governing Council and Chief Returning Officer (CRO), Joanne Chou, Assistant Secretary of the Governing Council and Deputy Returning Officer (DRO), STG, Miranda Edwards, Assistant Secretary of the Governing Council and Deputy Returning Officer (DRO), UTSC, Cindy Ferencz Hammond, Assistant Secretary of the Governing Council and Deputy Returning Officer (DRO), UTM
OPEN SESSION
- Chair’s Remarks
The Chair welcomed members and guests to the first meeting of the governance year. - Overview of Mandate & Terms of Reference
The Chair provided an overview of the Committee’s mandate and areas of responsibility as defined in its terms of reference. He noted that its primary responsibility is the review and recommendation of the elections policy while noting that this “policy” is not a single document but is comprised of the Election Guidelines (Guidelines) and relevant sections of the University of Toronto Act, 1971 (the Act) and the Committee’s terms of reference.
In discussing this framework, the Chair outlined the Committee's specific authority, which included acting as Election Overseers during an election. In this oversight capacity, the Committee would consider appeals of a decision made by the Chief Returning Officer (CRO), as well as any other appeal or question arising from the conduct of the elections as stipulated in the Guidelines. He also noted that the CRO would present a final Elections Report, outlining all activities undertaken during the election, to the Committee at its final meeting of the governance year.
The Chair also highlighted the Committee's annual responsibility to review the Guidelines and the accompanying election schedule. He clarified that, while the Committee can approve minor amendments, any recommendations for major changes must be forwarded to the Executive Committee for approval. Looking ahead, the Chair noted that the draft 2026 Guidelines would be presented for consideration at their next meeting. He added that the 2026 election schedule is expected to follow the usual timeline, beginning with the nomination period in January and concluding with appeals and expense hearings toward the end of March. - Calendar of Business
The CRO, Mr. Timothy Harlick, noted that a central function of the Committee would be to consider the 2026 Guidelines at its next meeting. He also noted that he planned to submit an annual report to the Committee’s cycle 5 meeting that would provide an overview of the outcome of the 2026 election. It would also allow the Committee to provide oversight and advice on the conduct of the elections. -
Preliminary Discussion – Election Guidelines 2026
Mr. Harlick provided an overview of the 2025 regular election and by-election processes and results. He noted that, while candidacy remained very strong for Governing Council and UTM governance bodies, there was continued difficulty raising awareness and securing candidates for UTSC seats as well as the Temerty Faculty of Medicine seats on Academic Board. The CRO and DROs would continue to work with the administration to encourage participation.
Mr. Harlick then provided an update on the 2026 Governing Council elections, noting there would be 29 seats for both Governing Council and Academic Board, 27 seats for UTM, and 28 seats for UTSC. He advised that his team is actively taking a “digital-first” approach to the elections process by continuing to refine digital tools such as the Nomination Management System (NMS) that launched in 2024. A recent update to the NMS would help the Returning Officers expedite the validation of candidates and their supporting nominators. Mr. Harlick also noted that the elections team, in collaboration with the Operations team, was working on a redevelopment of the Elections website. He went on to thank Christina da Rocha-Feeley, Director of Operations, for her and her team’s hard work and contributions.
Mr. Harlick provided a preliminary report on the proposed revisions to the 2026 Guidelines. He explained that, based on extensive feedback from the DROs and the Operations team, his team would undertake a major revision. The primary goal is to consolidate information and create a more user-friendly experience for candidates. One of the key proposed changes is a new thematic structure, organizing the document by key stages (nominations, campaigning, and voting) rather than repeating rules for each election type. He added that the goal is to make the Guidelines a more evergreen document that serves as a core set of rules, remaining stable from year to year. He concluded by advising members that the full draft of the proposed 2026 Guidelines would come before the Committee for recommendation at the November meeting.
A member commented that they were pleased to hear that the Guidelines were being streamlined for clarity, as the document can be long and intimidating for users. The member suggested that the CRO and DROs should continue to reach out to the various student unions to publicize the opportunity to run for Governing Council and its Boards, Councils, and Committees. The member also suggested the use of “just-in-time” posting. Mr. Harlick advised the committee that he would continue to work closely with the student unions to encourage participation. He also stated that his team would continue to use “just-in-time” posting and is taking a strategic communications approach to publicize opportunities to serve in the elections.
In response to a member’s question, Mr. Harlick confirmed that with the current NMS, candidates have been and would continue to be able to see the status of their applications in real time along with any nominations submitted on their behalf.
The Chair thanked Mr. Harlick for the wonderful work happening behind the scenes. - Report of the Previous Meeting – Report No. 102, May 28, 2025
The Report of the Previous Meeting – Report Number 102, was approved. - Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
There was no business arising from the report of the previous meeting. - Date of the Next Meeting: November 27, 2025
The Chair confirmed that the date of the next meeting would be held on November 27, 2025. - Other Business
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 1:31 p.m.
November 10, 2025