VOTE USM 2008
Student Government Elections
Student Senate Elections and Referenda Statement of Policy
Article One – Implementation of Elections & Referenda Policy
The Leadership
Development Board shall be responsible for conducting the elections and
referenda process in an open and honest manner. If any member of the
Leadership Development Board has actively sought to advance either their
own or another’s candidacy, then they must recuse themselves. Any appeal
to their decisions may be heard by the Student Senate.
Article Two – Election Commissioner
The Leadership
Development Board shall appoint an Election Commissioner, This person
will be responsible for the Elections Sub-committee along with a
representative from the Office of the Dean of Student Life. All
concerns regarding campaigning, candidates and referenda must be
addressed with the Election Commissioner.
Article Three – Normal Referenda
A. Process. Normal referenda must be submitted to the Student Senate Vice Chair no later than March 1. Once this process has been initiated, a referendum question cannot be amended. If there is time before the deadline, however, it can be resubmitted with any amendments already made. Normal referendum issues may be brought to the student body in two ways:
1) Method One. The Constitutional Review Committee can choose to recommend any referendum question to the Student Senate that it sees fit. The Student Senate may choose to place any referendum question on the ballot with a 2/3 vote of the full voting membership of the Student Senate.
2) Method Two. Any student may initiate a process to place a referendum question on the ballot. The student must submit a petition to the Student Senate Vice Chair with two hundred valid signatures. The Constitutional Review Committee will advise the Student Senate as to the soundness of the referendum question. A 2/3 vote of the full voting membership of the Student Senate is required in order to block its placement on the ballot.
B. Ballot. The normal
referenda questions will be placed on all Student Government ballots
after the names of the candidates.
Article Four– Special Referenda
In special circumstances, referenda may be initiated outside of the normal ballot process. In such a case, the following will be the procedure:
1) A petition must be generated containing at least two hundred signatures.
2) The Constitutional Review Committee will make a recommendation to the Student Senate including the intended date of the referendum vote.
3) The Student Senate
may choose to hold a special referendum vote with a 2/3 vote of the full
voting membership of the Student Senate.
Article Five – Elections
A. Date. The Leadership Development Board shall decide the dates, times, and locations of the election. The election must be held prior to Spring Break. This information must be announced at least four weeks before the first day of elections. Acceptance of nomination papers shall begin at this time.
B. Nomination Papers. Each candidate must submit their nomination papers to the Leadership Development Board no later than two weeks before the first day of elections. The nomination papers shall include a statement of constituency, the printed full name of the student, and their student ID number. The Leadership Development Board may require other information as it sees fit. Candidates will be provided an election resource packet with essential election information upon submission of their nomination form.
C. Electronic Ballots. The names of all candidates who submitted nomination forms shall be placed on the ballot in a random order. Different ballots will be provided for the resident and commuter constituencies; each ballot will include candidates for Student Body President, At-Large candidates for the Student Senate, respective constituency candidates for the Student Senate, and any referenda. Paper ballots may be requested on an individual basis.
D. Voting. The Leadership Development Board is responsible for conducting the voting process. All Portland/Gorham undergraduate students paying the Student Activity Fee are eligible to vote. Voting will occur via an on-line process determined by the Leadership Development Board. Voting will be accessible to all eligible students for a minimum of four (4) days. Students may vote from any computer. University computing labs will be designated as official polling places. The LDB may also designate additional locations for polling. Candidates will be notified of these locations at least two weeks in advance of the election.
E.. Verification of Votes. All ballots will be verified within one week of the conclusion of voting. Verification must be conducted by the Office of the Dean of Student Life in coordination with the USM Registrar’s Office. The Office of the Dean of Student Life will provide the election results, upon verification, to the USM Student Senate for acceptance. Any interested party may request a report of the verified results once accepted by the Student Senate.
F. Recount. All candidates shall have the right to request a recount within thirty days after elections by submitting a written and signed statement to the Leadership Development Board requesting such a recount. A report of verified results must be kept at least ninety days from the last day of elections.
G. Disputed Electronic
Ballots. In the event that a ballot is unclear, the Leadership
Development Board shall have the final authority to decide for whom the
vote was cast or to discount the vote as invalid. All disputed ballots
must be retained for ninety days; they must be included with the other
ballots and clearly marked as disputed.
Article Six – Prohibited Behavior
A. Campaigning. Campaigning and advertising may not begin until after nomination papers have been submitted. All campaign advertisement must be conducted in a manner consistent with University rules and regulations. Campaigning may not occur within designated polling locations for the duration of the voting period, with the exception of the mobile polling locations, which will be determined by the Election Commission.
B. Defamation. Defamation of character, either through libel or slander, of other candidates and/or their staff is prohibited.
C. Election Material. No campaign posters or advertisements will be allowed within sight of the designated polling locations during election week, with the exception of the mobile polling locations, which will be determined by the Election Commission. No candidate or their staff shall deface the election material of another candidate.
D. Violations.
Violation of these rules, while campaigning, shall be considered a
violation of the Student Senate Code of Conduct and shall be acted upon
accordingly. Any and all concerns shall be addressed to the Election
Commissioner. Informal complaints will be addressed directly by the
Commissioner. Formal complaints shall be submitted in writing to the
Election Commissioner and will be addressed by the Student Senate
Violations Inquiry Committee. The Commissioner also has the authority
to bring complaints to the Violations Inquiry Committee.
Article Seven – Amendments to the Statement of Policy
Amendments to the Elections & Referenda Statement of Policy shall be referred to the Student Senate upon a majority vote of the Constitutional Review Committee and Leadership Development Board. In order for the amendment to take effect, the Student Senate must pass it in a manner pursuant with Article Twelve Section B of the Student Senate Constitution.