Elections
Members are able to run, nominate and vote for an Executive Committee and Board of Directors every year in the General Elections (and when necessary, By-Elections). Terms for these positions last for one year.
Visit the UTGSU By-Election 2025 Page for updates on the current By-Elections.
Visit the UTGSU Election 2025 Page for previous election results.
TIMELINE
The UTGSU By-Elections are expected to occur from September 15, 2025 – October 8, 2025.
Nomination Period: September 15 – September 25, 2025
Campaign Period: September 29 – October 8
Voting Period: October 6 – October 8
RULES
The rules for UTGSU Elections can be found in Bylaw 9: Elections and in Policy E1: Elections . You can find the most up to date Bylaws and Policies at Governance.
Referenda
Referenda are questions posed to the membership in referendum votes to set the direction of the UTGSU – most often this is to set the collection of a fee by the UTGSU on behalf of a student organization. Referenda typically have a long-term impact and require a significant amount of planning, consultation and support to initiate – often requiring multiple years of planning. Past referenda include the establishment of the UTGSU, the health and dental plan, and established support for our levy groups. If you have any questions about setting up a referendum, please contact internal@utgsu.ca.
TIMELINE
The UTGSU facilitated a fee-based referenda for the Food Equity & Education Drive with voting days between December 2 – 5, 2025
Unofficial results (awaiting Board of Directors ratification)
Agree: 1,592 (88.7%)
Disagree: 203 (11.3%)
FEED Referenda Website
Simply Voting Referenda 2025 Report
“Do you agree to the creation of a refundable $4.00 per semester fee for full-time students and $2.00 per semester fee for part-time students, starting in September 2026, adjusted annually based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index, collected and managed by UTGSU, and applicable in the fall and winter terms, to fund a food security program including:
- Discretionary food security and justice projects
- Emergency food relief and grants
- Infrastructure for student-run food structures and centres, including kitchen(s), storage, and growing spaces
- Student group initiatives
- Subsidized and free food programs that ensure equitable and affordable access to nutritious food.
RULES
The rules for UTGSU Referendums can be found in Bylaw 11: Referenda and in Policy E1: Elections and Referenda. You can find the most up to date Bylaws and Policies at Governance.
You may contact the Chief Returning Officer at cro@utgsu.ca with any referendum related questions, concerns or complaints.
Contact
The Chief Returning Officer (CRO) is responsible for the logistics and administration of the UTGSU Elections and Referenda. Please contact the CRO as your initial point of contact regarding elections:
Chief Returning Officer: cro@utgsu.ca
The Elections & Referenda Committee (ERC) is responsible for the overall guidance of the UTGSU Elections and Referenda. Please contact the ERC Chair to appeal a decision of the CRO or at a time where there has been no CRO hired.
ERC Chair: erc@utgsu.ca
Frequently Asked Questions
A referendum is a formal vote conducted within a student body to decide on a specific issue or question of importance. This could include matters such as funding allocations, supporting campus groups with ongoing funding, organizational stances on issues or significant decisions affecting the student body as a whole. Referenda of the UTGSU may be initiated by Members or by the Board of Directors through processes set out in our bylaws (Bylaw 11) and policy (E2: Referenda).
- Nomination Period: February 25 – March 6, 2026
- Campaign Period: March 9 – March 20, 2026
- Voting Period: March 17 – March 20, 2026
An Executive member is an officer of the UTGSU who oversees the day-to-day functions of the students’ union. Executive members typically work between 15-20 hours per week. They chair meetings, lead projects and give direction to the full-time staff of the students’ union.
A Board of Director member is a director of the UTGSU who set the strategic direction of the students’ union. Directors sit on committees, participate in working groups and oversee the work of the Executive Committee. Directors can typically work between 2-5 hours per week depending on their project and committee assignments.
Both Executives and Directors are elected in annual General Elections in March.
You can find a description of each position in the UTGSU By-Laws here; see sections 4 and 7.
The UTGSU Election Rules can be found in the UTGSU Policy Handbook under Election Policy 1 (E1).
All candidates in the UTGSU elections must first be successfully nominated during the Nomination Period listed above. This includes filling out the required personal information and consent forms and collecting the minimum required number of nominators for the position they are running for. You may only seek nomination for one position at a time.
- Board of Director Candidates are required to collect at least 10 nominations
- Executive Officer Candidates are required to collect at least 25 nominations
Nomination forms will include: Name, Student Number, Academic Program, the University of Toronto Email and a Digital Consent Waiver.t
Yes, you can sign as many nomination forms as you would like – as long as you are a currently enrolled graduate student at the University of Toronto. You may also sign your own nomination form.
A nomination is not a vote or endorsement in the election. Nominations give permission for candidates to seek to run in an election.
A slate allows for multiple Executive Officer candidates to run on the same platform and present a united vision for the students’ union during the campaign. Slates advertise a collective platform, team name and are able to share resources permitted in the election. Slates may also share collective ownership over the way their campaign is run, including campaign violations and penalties.
However, candidates for the Board of Directors may not slate together or slate with any Executive Office candidates. Further, all slates are dissolved at the end of the election cycle and all successful candidates must collegially work together regardless of slate affiliation.
Voters are not required to vote along slate lines, and will cast ballots for individual candidates.he
complete candidate list with their candidate statements will be uploaded at the start of campaigning on March 17, 2025. All candidates must be successfully nominated during the Nomination Period.
Voting will open on the dates listed above.
Only Graduate Students at the University of Toronto are allowed to vote in this election. Undergraduate Students are not permitted to vote. You will require your UTORID and password to vote.
The voting website will be https://utgsu.simplyvoting.com
For Executive Elections, voters are required to rank each candidate with 1 being their first preference (in accordance with UTGSU Bylaw). You will receive an error message if you attempt to vote before the elections open, or after they close.
For Director Elections, voters will be able to select up to five (5) candidates from that division.
You can submit elections complaints and concerns through the Election Complaint Form. This form goes to the CRO for investigations and judgment, which may result in warnings, demerit points or other penalties.
SimplyVoting links will only be sent out at the start of the Voting Period. The contact information is directly sent from the university to SimplyVoting.
You may have marked previous emails as Spam or Unsubscribed from the list. Electors that unsubscribed or reported an email blast message as spam may resubscribe by simply sending an email message to resubscribe@simplyvoting.com. If you continue to have issues, please contact cro@utgsu.ca.
Regardless, you should be able to access the voting platform at https://utgsu.simplyvoting.com. If you are unable to vote, please contact cro@utgsu.ca.
As a reminder, graduate students in the Toronto School of Theology and all undergraduate students are not eligible to vote in UTGSU referendums.
Email the CRO at cro@utgsu.ca if you have any questions or concerns about the election.