Since BECTU was formed in 1991, the membership has voted every two years to select members of the National Executive Committee (NEC).
This current election is, though, only the second time that the entire membership has also been asked to vote for the union's president.
This follows a rule change that BECTU made before the last elections in 2002, after a legal challenge to the union's old electoral system from an individual member (who, once again, is the only other candidate in this year's election for president).
Before the legal case was mounted, BECTU followed the practice of many other UK unions in selecting a president from within the membership of the NEC.
BECTU was not the only British union which had to change its rules - among the many others who were caught out by the legal ruling were Equity, the Musicians' Union, and the National Union of Journalists.
However, since the last BECTU president's election, the legal loophole which led to the rule change has been closed by government, and unions are now free to return to their original voting procedures. In BECTU's case this entailed an election within the NEC - itself an elected body - to choose the President, but there are no plans at present to revert to the old voting system.
All BECTU's NEC members are elected by the rank and file membership of their industrial divisions - Arts & Entertainment, BBC, Independent Broadcasting, Laboratories, London Production, and Regional production.
There has been no change in the voting procedure for election of BECTU's NEC - members of the union's executive continue to be elected from their industrial constituencies. Both candidates for BECTU's presidency are also seeking election as NEC members.
The term of office for elected representatives has not changed either - the president and NEC members elected this year will serve for two years, after which they are all eligible to stand for re-election.
