Election for positions in an Amnesty group

According to the general guidelines for groups, all positions in the group should be elected through democratic elections annually.

In the document "Group Structure" you can read more about when the election should be conducted and which positions are required and recommended for the groups to have.

In advance of the election

The date for the group elections should be announced at least two months prior to the election. This allows those holding positions to consider whether they want to run for re-election, and other members of the group to decide if they want to run for a position in the group.

Ensure that all members are clearly informed of the election date and the process for running for a position. You can do this via email, in the Facebook group, or whichever platform you typically use for communication.

If you know that one of the current boardmember does not wish to continue in their role, it is crucial to inform the others in the group and work to find candidates to take over the position. Do not assume that someone will automatically run for the position. It is important to actively speak with the members and encourage them to run. Explain what the role entails and what one gains from holding the position, etc.

It may be wise to ask group members to notify you in advance if they are interested in running for a particular position. This way, you will know if there are enough candidates to fill all the positions.

The election

The actual election should take place during a group meeting. There are several ways to conduct an election, but here are some tips on how you can do it:

• The group leader briefly explains all the positions that are up for election.
• Then, one position at a time should be addressed. It might be a good idea to start with the leader position so that someone who is not elected can have the opportunity to run for deputy-leader afterward.
• If there are multiple candidates for a position, each candidate should be given a couple of minutes to introduce themselves, explain why they want the role, and why they believe they are suitable for the position.
• After the candidate presentations, the actual election takes place. It can be resolved, for example, by:

- Raising hands.

- A written paper ballot.

• It may be a good idea to ask the candidates to leave the room during the election process so that they do not know how many votes each of them received, but this is optional.
• If there is only one candidate for a position, that person can be elected by acclamation. This is done by applause, thereby indicating agreement that the person can take on the role.

After the election:

Remember to announce the new positions to all members of the group through the report and to inform the regional leader about who is taking over which positions. The person who is the leader at the time of the election is responsible for providing this information.

The regional office will register this so that the leader gets the access they should have on Minside and the leader of the youth/student groups is added to the councils. When a new leader has gained access, they have the opportunity to update their contact information on Amnesty.no if they agree to it.

The group decides whether newly elected individuals take over the positions immediately or if there is an overlapping phase. It is important to have a good transfer of knowledge during new elections. You can read more about this in the document "Transfer of competence when changing of positions".