Election rules

The elections in the IWGB are organised by the Democracy subcommittee. Members of the Democracy subcommittee who are running in elections must recuse themselves from the election process. To ensure the running of elections, members of IWGB staff will be designated as "returning officers" who will send the emails and SMS communications, and coordinate the election with an independent third party, normally Civica, who will run the postal Ballot in accordance with the law.

Candidates submit a 250-word manifesto during nomination. Candidates will be invited to submit text for two emails sent to the IWGB membership linking to candidate manifestos.

Members are reminded that the following rules apply during contested elections:

1. The returning officers and IWGB staff have to remain neutral, as per existing policy
2. Candidates are restricted from sending campaigning emails and text messages to members. Union-wide election-related or campaigning Emails and text messages may only be sent to members via the returning officer
3. Where possible, candidates should have equal opportunities to campaign in hustings and meetings
4. Candidates are required to act with good will and respect, and be reasonable throughout the election period
5. Campaigning must stay in line with the IWGB Members' code of conduct and Statement of inclusivity.

If any of the above rules are broken, the returning officers can apply the following sanctions, based on the severity of the breach:

• Excluded from Union election communications
• Excluded from Union election hustings
• Excluded from the elections

Any decisions made by the returning officers must be reported to the Democracy subcommittee, which retains the power to overrule the decisions. The returning officers and Democracy subcommittee reserve the right to notify the membership where necessary of any breaches and will apply the rules fairly and consistently across all elections.