UCDSU To Hold Constitutional Referendum On 26th and 27th November

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UCD Students’ Union have announced that a Constitutional Referendum is set to be held on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 November 2024.

UCD Students’ Union have announced that a Constitutional Referendum is set to be held on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 November 2024. 

Voting will take place electronically, with every member of UCD Students’ Union, i.e all students of UCD, entitled to vote. 

The referenda will see two questions put to the student body. Students will firstly be asked if they are in favour of dropping the quorum for votes cast in a Constitutional Referendum from “not less than 12.5%” to “not less than 10%” of members of the union. This amendment would lower the number of total votes required for UCDSU to make changes and amendments to their constitution by 2.5%. 

The same referendum was put to the students during SU elections in April, where it did not pass as the threshold of 12.5% of students was not met, with a total poll reaching 2,868 votes.

Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union do not require a quorum for constitutional reform referendum.

Students will then be asked one question about two proposed amendments for the wording of articles 20.1 and 20.4 of the constitution. Students will be asked if they are in favour of amending article 20.1 of the constitution to allow for Class Representatives to be elected “in the final four weeks of the second semester”, as well as in the “first four weeks of the first semester” as is already stated in the constitution. 

As part of this second question, students will also be asked if they approve the new wording to Article 20.4. The article currently reads, “No member of the Union shall be entitled to stand for election in more than one constituency or in a constituency of which they are not a member.” If passed, the new wording would instead read, “No member of the Union shall be entitled to stand for election in more than one constituency.”

The UCDSU Returning Officer was notified that referenda have been called by UCDSU Council following an emergency meeting of the council on Wednesday 23 October. At Council, three motions were clearly passed, two of which allowed for this referendum to take place, and the third allowing Sabbatical officers to take a stance on the referenda.