Camcycle elections

This year, the Camcycle elections will be conducted using an online system called OpaVote. The process is broadly the same as with our previous paper-based ballots but members access an online voting form using a link sent via email. The voting email from OpaVote links directly to the voting page, which lists each trustee candidate in random order and allows you to rank the candidates in order of preference. You can also vote to accept or reject any proposed motions.

Voting will open at 9am on Friday 21 January and the email with the link to OpaVote will be sent out then. Voting will close at 5pm on Saturday 22 January, at the end of the AGM. Please cast your ballot well in advance of the deadline unless you want to hear discussion first.

A single transferable vote process will be followed. Please read the following instructions and FAQs to find out more about the voting process.

Voting eligibility

Only Camcycle members who are registered for the AGM are entitled to vote for the election and the proposed motion. Members must be recorded in our membership system as current members at the time of the AGM to be eligible. The deadline to register to vote at the AGM is midnight on Thursday the 20 January 2022. 

Mechanics of voting

For this election, polling will be performed online using the widely-used OpaVote, which is a hosted platform.

Voting email

Each member registered for the Camcycle AGM and entitled to vote will, on the opening of the polls (Friday 21 January), receive an email from OpaVote, each containing a unique, non-spoofable, voting link. The email will be sent to the email address associated with your Camcycle AGM registration. The sender will be: noreply@opavote.com

Please check your spam folder. If you believe that you should have received an email to vote, but you cannot find it, please send a message to contact@camcycle.org.uk with the subject  ‘AGM2022 – No voting email received’ as soon as possible. 

 

Questions and Answers

What is the voting system?

There are three separate trustee elections. These are, in order of procedure: 

  • Charity Chair election
  • Charity Treasurer election
  • Trustee election

If a candidate is selected for a role through an election, then they will be automatically removed from subsequent elections. There is a ‘none of the above’ option on each ballot. If that is the winner, then the post remains unfilled. The election will be counted according to the Single Transferable Vote rules published by the Electoral Reform Society (STV).

Please rank each candidate in the order that you would consider them suitable for the position. If a candidate whom you have scored highly has already been elected to a different post, then your vote for this post will be transferred to your next highest candidate, until all positions are filled or the none-of-the-above candidate wins. You do not have to give rankings to every candidate.

If there are vacant positions, trustees will have the power to co-opt additional trustees throughout the year. The position of Secretary/Vice Chair will be determined by the trustees at the first trustee meeting following the election. The constitution states that up to 15 trustees can be elected. 

 

How many candidates should I add on my list?

There are 7 candidates standing for election and the Camcycle constitution states there can be up to 15 trustees including the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. Therefore, if all candidates receive enough votes, there is space for all of them to join the 2022 Board of Trustees.

However, there is no obligation to assign a ranking to each candidate; you may, if you wish, vote for one single candidate or for a small number. There is also a ‘none of the above’ option on each ballot. If that is the winner, then the post remains unfilled. 

If there are vacant positions, trustees have the power to co-opt additional trustees throughout the year in accordance with the Camcycle constitution.

Why is the role of Secretary not listed on the ballot?

The role of Secretary will be allocated at the first meeting of the new board of trustees. One of the new general trustees will be co-opted into this role.

Explanation of motion voting process

The voting page sent by OpaVote allows you to accept or reject any motion as described in the AGM agenda pack (none in 2022). When a motion has been proposed, it will be discussed further at the AGM, so you may wish to wait until the AGM before you click ‘Vote’ at the end of the email from OpaVote.

Will my vote be kept secret?

The platform preserves the expected secrecy of the ballot, exposing only the operational statistics related to turnout and including details of who has and has not voted. OpaVote conducts the counting process automatically and generates a result and the outcome of each round of counting. It does not provide information about what specific voters have voted, but after the end of the election it provides a file with anonymised raw ballots.

How many emails will I receive from the OpaVote system?

If you are a Camcycle member registered for the AGM, you will receive one email. It will enable you to vote for the trustee elections and the proposed motion. 

I haven’t received the link to vote. Can you help?

  • Please check whether you are eligible. See the ‘Voting eligibility’ section at the start of this document.
  • Please search the email account associated with your Camcycle AGM registration, including your spam folder
  • If you believe that you should have received an email to vote, but you cannot find it, please send a message to contact@camcycle.org.uk with the subject  ‘AGM2022 – No voting email received’ from the email account associated with your Camcycle AGM registration. 

I have opened the voting page – why can’t I see the list of candidates?

Please check your browser settings to ensure you haven’t disabled anything which would prevent the list from being displayed. Don’t press the ‘Vote’ button before you can see the candidate list or you will send an empty vote. 

Can I change my vote? Can I vote again?

You may vote only once: attempting to re-enter the voting process using the same link will deny you access, but your earlier ballot will still count. So, if you think you have not made up your mind yet, wait and vote later.

I was in a hurry and I think I sent an empty vote. Can anything be done?

Unfortunately, the vote was lost. Once it has been sent, the system does not give us any ability to cancel it/revoke it or reset it. 

There’s something else wrong. Can someone help?

You can telephone us on 01223 690718 so that we can help with technical difficulties. If we do not answer, please leave a message and we will do our best to call you back.