1. Student Government Elections
Candidate Campaign Rules

2. Timeline
3/9: Petitions Due 3/20: Platforms Due on Elections site 3/20: Debates happening this week, hosted by The Tartan 3/30: Voting 2pm (campus-wide ) 4/3: Voting 2pm 4/3: Elections Board meets to confirm results and will candidates when website results are updated on website 4/5: Joint Ratification Meeting of GSA & 5pm | Porter 100

3. The Elections Procedure: STV
Representative Voting System
Allows voters to rank preferences over candidates
Redistributes votes according to these preferences through the voting process
Any candidate receiving enough votes to win a seat does so
Their excess votes are redistributed to other candidates
In each round, if vacant seats remain, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated
Their votes are redistributed to the next most preferred candidate
A procedure for breaking ties over candidates to be eliminated is in place

4. Campaigning: General
Candidates for office are responsible for familiarizing themselves with and following all relevant Carnegie Mellon University, Student Government, Student Senate, and Graduate Student Assembly policies.
Candidates may not begin campaigning until the beginning of the semester during which the election is held.
No person may personally or through an agent intimidate, harass, use or threaten the use of force, violence, persistent or undesired presence of campaign members in proximity to voters, or restraint in order to compel or induce any person to vote, abstain from voting, or vote or abstain from voting for a particular candidate or referendum.
Be careful in areas where people are hanging out with laptops (like clusters, black chairs, etc.) and you are conversing about elections and/or your campaign. Students may feel an “undesired presence.”
PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR CAMPAIGN CREW IS AWARE OF ALL OF THESE POLICIES

5. Campaigning: Expenses
No Activities Fee money shall be used for campaigning purposes.
This shall exclude the Elections Board reproducing candidate platforms approved by the Elections Board.
No candidate for any office may spend in excess of five-hundred (500) American dollars for campaign purposes.
No person may bribe, give, or lend anything of over twenty-five (25) American dollars in value in order to induce a person to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote for or against a candidate or referendum.
The fair market value of any items donated to the candidate’s campaign or provided at a discounted rate unavailable to other candidates for the same position shall count towards this total
PROCESS in tracking expenditures (StuGov Exec Candidates ONLY)
Log into Elections Website
Click on Candidate Name in upper right
Log Expenditures w/in 2 business days
Please keep all receipts

6. Campaigning: Advertising
Candidates must abide by the Student Government Graffiti and Poster Policy
Poster on bulletin boards only (despite building culture)
Doherty posters are permitted – please show Student Activities file before printing for approval, then make sure that Student Activities stamps printed poster before hanging.
No painting of the fence is permitted for campaign purposes.
Libelous or slanderous campaigning is not permitted.
Poster & Graffiti Poster Administrator will take down all violations, log them, and report to Elections Board.
No campaigning may take place at any polling location during polling hours on the election days, nor may any campaign material be present at a polling location during polling hours.
This shall exclude candidate platforms received and approved by the Elections Board at least one (1) week prior to the Student Government Executive and Student Senate election
A polling location is the area within thirty (30) feet of an official voting locate
Elections Board will notify candidates of polling locations, dates, and times.

7. Campaigning: Advertising
Residential
Candidates must abide by the Residence Hall Poster Distribution
Campaigning in residence halls is not permissible
Do not utilize residence hall staff to slip fliers under doors or within Residence Halls (includes Resnik and West Wing 1st floor hallways) or to gain entrance.
Cannot go door to door to talk to residents (be aware if you are currently living in a CMU residential building).

8. Violations
Violations of these rules may result in penalties, cumulatively applied, of up to ten (10) percent of votes received for each of the above classifications of violation (Article V.E 1-8), at the discretion of the Elections Board.
a. Violations of these rules shall be identified through first-hand accounts from individuals against whom the violation was committed. Such accounts shall be received by members of the Elections Board only.
Please to communicate all violations. The Elections Board will review and decide whether further information seeking is needed.
The Elections Board will go through all violations to determine the percentage of votes removed for each violation before unlocking vote results.

9. Campaign Violations – Summary (from Rules)
1. Candidates for office are responsible for familiarizing themselves with and following all relevant Carnegie Mellon University and Student Government policies.
2. Candidates may not begin campaigning until the beginning of the semester during which the election is held.
3. No campaigning may take place at any polling location during polling hours on the election days, nor may any campaign material be present at a polling location during polling hours.
a. This shall exclude candidate platforms received and approved by the Elections Board at least one (1) week prior to the Student Government Executive and Student Senate elections.
4. No painting of the fence is permitted for campaign purposes.
5. Libelous or slanderous campaigning is not permitted.
6. No Activities Fee money shall be used for campaigning purposes.
a. This shall exclude the Elections Board reproducing candidate platforms approved by the
Elections Board.
7. No candidate for any office may spend in excess of five-hundred (500) American dollars for campaign purposes.
a. No person may bribe, give, or lend anything of over twenty-five (25) American dollars in value in order to induce a person to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote for or against a candidate or referendum.
b. The fair market value of any items donated to the candidate’s campaign or provided at a discounted rate unavailable to other candidates for the same position shall count towards this total.
c. Candidates must submit all receipts of purchases and documentation of the fair market value of any donated items within two (2) business days of any purchase or donation.
8. No person may personally or through an agent intimidate, harass, use or threaten the use of force, violence, persistent or undesired presence of campaign members in proximity to voters, or restraint in order to compel or induce any person to vote, abstain from voting, or vote or abstain from voting for a particular candidate or referendum.

10. Communication & Results
All candidates will receive an announcing that the unofficial results are available to see on cmu.edu/studentvote.
All StuGov Executive candidates will receive an listing out a summary of the percentages that were taken away from candidate votes due to violations.
The Elections Board Chair will present the election process, any problems and/or unusual circumstances during the course of the election, and summary of violations that occurred and penalties given at the Joint Ratification Meeting of GSA and Student Senate.
Student Senate will ratify the results of the Undergraduate Student Senate elections by a majority vote.
GSA & Student Senate will ratify the results of the Executive election by majority vote.