ICAEW Council Elections FAQs

Any member with a registered address in an election constituency as of the Qualifying Date is eligible to stand, vote and nominate a candidate in the election.

The Qualifying Date for the 2024 Council South West By-elections was 2 February 2024. Your election constituency is specified in 'My Details' on your member profile.

• Check that you are eligible to stand in the South-West constituency. Check that you have a 10-year clean ICAEW disciplinary record. If you are eligible, read the guidance to understand the role and what's required of Council members.
• Submit a candidate statement using the template on online nomination site. (You will need to log in to the ICAEW first).
• Your candidate statement will be reviewed to check eligibility. Usually this is confirmed within 2 working days, and your name will appear as a provisional candidate on the election portal.
• Once you are confirmed as a provisional candidate, you must find five ICEAW members from your constituency to nominate you. Nominators do this via the election portal. Current office holders cannot nominate a candidate in the elections.
• Your candidate statement and five nominations must be received by Noon GMT 14 March 2024.

• 21 March 2024 – The Election Conduct Committee meets to review candidates' statements
• 26 March 2024 – Provisional Candidates will be notified of the next steps. Where the number of candidates does not exceed the number of constituency vacancies, the Election is uncontested and candidates will be deemed to be elected. Where there are more candidates than vacancies, the election will be contested by ballot.
• 9 April – Voting papers issued
• 24 April – Voting closes
• 15 May – Election results announced
• 4/5 June – ICAEW AGM and Council meeting (successful candidate takes up the role of Council Member following the AGM)

You can complete your application via the online nomination system from 14 February 2024 at icaew.com/councilelections.

All candidates must submit a candidate statement in the standard template available on the nominations site. You are advised to complete all sections of the template. If you leave a section blank, it will appear as such in your final statement. There is no word limit, but brevity is advised to keep the statement effective and focused.

When we receive a candidate's application the Governance Office reviews it to make sure it's been completed. The candidate's disciplinary record is also checked to confirm eligibility.

Subject to these stages being completed satisfactorily, a candidate's application becomes a Provisional Candidate. The candidate will be notified of this and nominators will be able to nominate the candidate.

The Elections Conduct Committee will meet after the closure of the Nominations Process and will review each candidacy.

The returning officer must not accept any nomination which:

• is incomplete or which is received after the deadline for nominations; or
• in the opinion of the Election Conduct Committee, represents a potential for conflict of interest to the extent that, in managing this conflict, the member may be unable to fulfil the role of Council member to the standard that would be reasonably expected by the members. For further information on conflicts of interest, please review the 'Declaration of Interest Policy'.

The Governance Office will check all nominations to ensure candidates belong to the constituency where they wish to contest elections. A disciplinary check will be conducted to ensure there are no adverse findings in the last 10 years that might disqualify the member from joining Council. Once, this check is complete, the candidate's name will appear on the nomination site to members in the constituency and they are deemed to be a Provisional Candidate.

Your candidacy will be confirmed in full once Nominating Committee have reviewed and approved your application in full. We will email you to confirm that you are an Approved Candidate.

Candidates need five nominators. The nominators must be full ICAEW members and their registered address must be in the same constituency as the nominee at the Qualifying Date (2 February 2024).

Nominators can register their support via the online nomination system once the Governance Office has satisfactorily completed an initial review of the candidate's statement to ensure it's been completed and the candidate's disciplinary record checked ie, once the candidate is confirmed as a Provisional Candidate.

The Governance Office will let candidates know when this stage is completed. Nominators will need their membership number and password to access the system. The deadline for nominations is Noon GMT 14 March 2024.

The completed application should be received by the Governance Office by 12 noon GMT on 14 March 2024.

• Candidates may start campaigning only after close of nominations and once they have received written confirmation from ICAEW that they are an Approved Candidate in a contested election in their constituency.
• Your candidate statement offers a provision to include URL for your LinkedIn profile. Candidates are personally responsible for the information they provide and must ensure it is compliant with the election regulations and is protected through appropriate security settings.
• The Governance Office can provide some guidance but cannot produce or host additional campaign material for candidates. Please familiarise yourselves with the Election Regulations before undertaking any campaigning activity.
• Please note that you cannot request or use a contact list you may have received as part of your current and ongoing engagement with ICAEW to canvass members in your area. You are welcome to approach your personal contacts and colleagues who may by ICAEW members, whilst ensuring you comply with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). If in doubt, please seek advice from the Governance Office.
• Candidates may campaign for support via social media and other communication channels. You can use your personal LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or other social media to promote yourself within your constituency. You can also post within ICAEW LinkedIn groups you are a member of. You are encouraged to network and let members know you are standing for Council and your key objectives.
• ICAEW will promote the elections on ICAEW.com, email and social media, and at regional events once the voting opens. Candidates are encouraged to signpost members in their constituencies to these channels to read their candidate statements which are designed to provide more information in support of the candidate.
• Candidates may promote themselves at ICAEW events, as long as they do not do so as part of delivering a speech in a formal capacity.
• Candidates can directly approach any publications that are not owned or managed by ICAEW as part of campaigning, if they so wish.
• You may approach the ICAEW Regional teams to promote your candidature through their newsletters to members. The Regional teams will provide a fair and impartial service to all candidates.
• Council members act collectively on behalf of their constituents. You are advised to avoid personal manifestos or single issue campaigns. At all times, please ensure your campaign does not flout the election regulations, is in good taste and reflects the ICAEW values and Code of Ethics.

If the election goes to ballot, voting will open at 12 Noon GMT on 9 April 2024. Members eligible to vote will receive a voting email.

You will be able to vote online from 12 Noon GMT on 9 April to 12 Noon GMT on 12 April 2024.

Voting closes at 12pm (noon) GMT on 24 April 2024.

ICAEW will confirm results of the election to candidates by email. Results will also be published on ICAEW.com/councilelections on 15 May 2024.