ELECTION FOR MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR THE TERM 2023-2025

GUIDELINES FOR ONLINE VOTING

07 August 2023

Guidelines for Online Voting for electing members of the GAABESU Executive Committee for the term 2023 2025 was issued on 20 July 2023 and sent to all the active GAABESU members along with brief biography of the candidates by email and was also uploaded on GAABESU website www.gaabesu.in for viewing. In response to our request many GAABESU members intimated / updated their email address and mobile number with GAABESU. We have been informed that some members could not open the attachments in the email. We are resending the guidelines along with clarification of the Election Committee of the queries / suggestions received by us. The text of the guidelines is also pasted on the body of the email for ease of reading by the members. The guidelines being issued will also be uploaded on GAABESU website.

Online Voting Process:

1.    Alumni/alumnae who got themselves enrolled as member of GAABESU on or before 31 March 2023 and whose subscription has not fallen in arrear shall constitute the Electoral Roll. Members who have joined GAABESU as member after 31 March 2023 shall not be eligible to vote this time to elect Executive Committee for 2023-2025.

2.    Voting process being online, members who have not registered either of their email or mobile number with GAABESU shall not be able to vote even if he/she is eligible to vote. If both the email ID and mobile number registered with GAABESU are active, the member will receive the same ballot via both. If none of the email ID or mobile number is valid, the member will not receive any ballot.

3.    Eligible GAABESU members will get auto generated link in the registered email and registered mobile as SMS well before the start date of online voting. The link shall be unique for each member and once voted either from email or from mobile phone it cannot be used again for voting second time.

4.    Members receiving one or two ballots can use the ballot only once. If the member receives the same ballot as an email and as a SMS, the member can use either of these two. As soon as the first link is used, the second link automatically becomes invalid.  

5.    The link cannot be shared. We strongly advise all the members not to share his/her ballot with anyone as each will receive a unique ballot and can be used only once. 

6.    Once the link is clicked the ballot will appear on the screen which can be scrolled to see the entire ballot. Name, Batch, brief biography and photo of the candidates will appear in the ballot. For voting one shall have to click at the box against the candidate/ candidates of his/her choice.

7.    Maximum 17 (seventeen) votes can be given and in the process ballot will show the number of candidates voted. If one stops after voting less than 17 candidates, the ballot will ask if the voter intends to vote more candidates. It is the option of the voter to vote 17 candidates or less than that. The process will not allow anyone voting more than 17 candidates.

8.    The voters are requested to see the names carefully for voting. If there is a mistake by any chance, one can make a correction till submission of the ballot. After submission no change will be possible. One can download his/her cast ballot if he/she intends to.

9.    Start time of voting is 00.00 hrs on 18 August 2023 (IST) and End time of voting is 24.00 hrs on 23 August 2023 (IST). Members shall not be able to exercise voting before start time and the voting process will automatically stop at the end time. Please make sure to follow the election date and cast your vote anytime during the declared period.

10.  Names in the ballot will appear serially based on batch seniority of the candidates as given in the brief biography circulated and uploaded on GAABESU website. It was initially decided by the Election Committee to keep random serial of the candidates in ballot but considering suggestions and requests of many voters it has been decided to keep fixed serial as per batch seniority in the ballot.

11.  Only the voter can see his/her cast ballot, none else.   

12.  The system will automatically count votes and at the end of entire voting process will auto generate the result sheet with certification.

13.  Only the authorized member of the Election Committee shall be able to download the result sheet after completion of the entire election process and before declaration of the result. The Election Committee may make the result sheet open for viewing by the members only after declaration of the result of the election.

14.  For ease of understanding of the entire online voting process by the members, the Election Committee intends to circulate a short video before start of the voting process.

Response to queries and suggestions:

1.    Whether ballots will be sent by post to members who are not having email and by email who have registered their email with GAABESU: No. Voting process shall be entirely online. Active members will get a link in their registered email and mobile phone. By clicking the link one will be able to see the ballot. Members who do not have registered their active email address with GAABESU will get the link in their mobile phone registered with GAABESU as SMS.

2.    Election Committee may consider having a meeting with all the 35 (thirty five) contesting candidates for clarifying certain issues and to explain the election process to them in detail: Election Committee does not intend to conduct any meeting with the candidates only at this stage. All the members are to know the election process. We have decided to keep the process as simple as possible and maintain utmost secrecy during the entire process of election. We hope our members will find the guidelines clear.

3.    Who is the vendor/ what is the voting software and rating of the supplier agency for the Online Election: It will not be declared to maintain secrecy of the election process.

4.    Whether the process is reliable: When the election process is on, members have to rely on the Election Committee. The Committee is committed and duty bound to be reliable to all the GAABESU members in respect of maintaining secrecy of voting. Each member will get a unique link. Only the member can see his/her cast ballot during the process of voting.

5.    Executive Committee can look into the voting process: No, cannot. The Executive Committee is in no way involved in the voting process at any stage.

6.    How would EC ensure that no one, including the EC will be able to see/ monitor interim poll status: We can assure all that the Election committee will not see the election process during voting period and there shall be no scope of monitoring interim poll status by any one. Only authorized member of the Election Committee shall open the result after completion of entire voting process.

7.    How and who will do crisis management in case of any snag/ failure in voting reported? A clear-cut SOP needs to be circulated: We take note of the query and will clarify the point. In case of any snag, by any chance, it can be reported in the election email.  

8.    Updating / registering correct email address/ mobile no.: GAABESU has been able to update/ register many emails and mobile phone no. In case of updating requests received from other sources, GAABESU office is checking from the members over phone or otherwise. In some cases directory of different alumni groups are also consulted. It should be intention of all to get the correct contact details recorded with GAABESU to receive communications.

9.    What is the deadline of the correcting process: Correcting process shall go on as it is necessary for GAABESU office to have correct contact details of members. However, those who will not register / update their email and/or mobile no before uploading the Electoral Roll for voting shall not get the link for voting. We intend to finalise the Electoral Roll by 11 August 2023.

10.  Request to give a serial number of candidates in the ballot as per batch seniority instead of random serial: Suggestion has been noted and addressed in the guidelines.

11.  Whether active GAABESU members who are keen to do constructive work for GAABESU but did not get notice for submitting nomination can still submit nomination: No. Notice inviting nominations was sent to GAABESU members by email and was also uploaded on GAABESU website giving sufficient time for submitting nominations. Members who did not register / update email address with GAABESU or did not check the website have missed to submit nomination. Since GAABESU office communicates with members through email it is important for a member to register correct communication link with GAABESU. Members making complaint through election email address must have seen / learnt about the notice as the election email address was given in the notice.

We have been getting requests to stop / debar from voting group of members who are claiming themselves as “All GAABESU Members” or asking for vote for a group of members and/or using language not to the taste of many. Election Committee neither has any authority nor intends to interfere in the campaigning process. We would appeal to all to maintain brotherly relationship in true tradition of our alma mater as we all shall have to work together irrespective of the results of the election to fulfill objectives of GAABESU.          

It is expected that all the eligible GAABESU members will exercise the voting right so as to justify the efforts in arranging online voting.

Syama Prasad Datta

Chairman, Election Committee

On behalf of the Members of the Election Committee