F8 Constitutional amendment: Presidential Election Regulations

As passed by conference

Submitted by: 12 members

Mover: Isabelle Parasram (Vice President of the Liberal Democrats).

Summation: Dr Mark Pack (President of the Liberal Democrats).

Conference ratifies the following changes to the Presidential Election regulations:

1. Delete the title and insert: 'PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT (RESPONSIBLE FOR WORKING WITH ETHNIC MINORITY COMMUNITIES) ELECTION REGULATIONS'.
2. In Regulation 2, insert 'se' and 's' to read: 'The electorate for the purposes of these elections shall ...'.
3. In Regulation 4 A, delete 'The timetable for the election' and insert 'The timetables for these elections'.
4. Delete Regulation 6 A and insert EITHER:
   1. 'A candidate for the office of President or Vice President responsible for working with ethnic minority communities shall require the nomination of not less than 200 members in not less than 20 Local Parties (including, for this purpose, the Specified Associated Organisations representing youth and/or students).'
      
      OR:
       
   2. 'A candidate for the office of President shall require the nomination of not less than 200 members in not less than 20 Local Parties (including, for this purpose, the Specified Associated Organisations representing youth and/or students). A candidate for the office of Vice President responsible for working with ethnic minority communities shall require the nomination of any Local Party, any Regional Party, any State Party, any Specified Associated Organisations, or nominations may be submitted by any ten party members.'
5. Replace Regulation 10 with EITHER:
   1. The Federal Board shall agree a spending limit for election expenses, not including travel or subsistence expenses, when setting the timetable for an election. The limit for President and Vice President may be different. No candidate, or their agent, shall exceed this limit in the production of publicity material and all other expenditures connected with the campaign. This shall include any expenditure (or the relevant proportion of any expenditure) incurred before an individual becomes a candidate if the property, services or facilities are used for the purposes of the candidate's election. All donations above £500 must comply with the provisions of Schedule 7 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.br/>
      OR:
       
   2. The Federal Board shall agree a spending limit for election expenses, not including travel or subsistence expenses, when setting the timetable for the election for President. The limit for elections for Vice President shall be zero, not including travel or subsistence expenses. No candidate, or their agent, shall exceed this limit in the production of publicity material and all other expenditures connected with the campaign. This shall include any expenditure (or the relevant proportion of any expenditure) incurred before an individual becomes a candidate if the property, services or facilities are used for the purposes of the candidate's election. All donations above £500 must comply with the provisions of Schedule 7 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
6. If option e) ii) above on election expenses is selected: in Regulation 16, after 'each candidate' insert 'for President'.
7. In Regulation 21, delete 'Executive' and insert 'Board' in both instances.
8. In Regulation 21, delete 'the elections' and insert 'an election for President or Vice President'.

Applicability: Federal.

Mover: 5 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes.

The current Presidential Election Regulations can be found here.

For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 7 of the agenda. To submit a speaker's card, complete this form.

Conference has the power to ratify but not amend election regulations proposed by the Federal Board. There will be votes on the options in the motion but the motion is not otherwise open to amendments or separate votes. .