In an emergency meeting of the University-Wide Council (UWC) on March 15 at 10 p.m. the election timeline was approved without objection. The conference call meeting took about 45 minutes to complete.
The elections timeline is a calendar of events published by the Elections Office that informs the candidates when their deadlines are. This was originally supposed to be approved in January. However, with the three month delay in choosing an election supervisor, student government (SG) is now scrambling to get everything in order for the elections that are now scheduled for April 12 and 13.
According to the SG Constitution, elections are supposed to take place on the first Tuesday and Wednesday of April, which would be April 5 and 6. However, there is a rule in the constitution that allows SG to change the election date with a vote.
WHAT’S NEXT?Next, Elections Supervisor Poojitah Somareddy must interview and hire students to serve on the Election Commission, the governing board of the elections. After hiring the commission, the UWC must meet again to approve them.
TIMELINEDeclaration of Candidacy – March 23, 24, 25This is where students seeking office file for candidacy with the elections commission. Mandatory Candidates Meetings – April 1, 2, 4 All candidates must attend one of the three meetings to further learn the rules and regulations that govern the elections.Campaigning Begins – April 5 at 8:00 a.m.Flyers, posters and signs can be put up around campus. Candidates can also begin verbally campaigning in hallways and buildings.Election Days – April 12, 13Students can vote online or in person.Expenditure Check – April 14Each candidate is given a particular dollar amount that they are allowed to spend depending on what positions they are running for. If they go over the allowed amount, they could be disqualified from the election. Candidates must turn in receipts to the elections office for verification of spending.Election Material Cleanup – April 15All posted election material must be taken down. Anything that is not taken down could disqualify a candidate.Election Results – April 16Election results will be announced by 5 p.m.Run-Off Elections – April 19, 20In the event that a run-off election needs to take place, run-off elections will occur on these days.
