Carnegie Mellon University

Student Senate Election Rules

Amended Spring 2001

  1. The Elections Board

    1. Purpose and Responsibilities. The Elections Board shall:

      1. Decide the outcome of all questions and/or disagreements regarding an election that are not explicitly covered in this document

      2. Be responsible for the handling of all elections and referenda until a new Elections Board is appointed

      3. Validate petitions, man the polls, count the votes, and investigate any irregularities in an election

      4. Through the Division of Student Affairs, obtain a list which shall contain the names of all Activities Fee-paying students registered for nineteen (19) units, or more, and name the college to which each is registered

      5. Invalidate elections upon violations of this procedure, at its own discretion

      6. Hear all allegations concerning election irregularities and have the ability to initiate an investigation concerning such allegations

      7. Close elections after a minimum of one week from when the polls are closed, to give time for complaints

      8. Determine the validity of the elections by a majority vote, subject to the approval of the Student Senate

      9. Have all other responsibilities, including but not limited to, providing all necessary materials, publicizing elections, setting the time and place, and publicizing the location, reserved to Student Senate

    2. The Members

      1. The Elections Board shall be appointed by the Student Senate, in accordance with the Constitution and its Bylaws

      2. The Elections Board, with the approval of Senate, may appoint new members to itself

      3. No member of Student Government shall be eligible to be on the Elections Board

      4. Every member of the Elections Board shall be familiar with these rules.

      5. Any votes cast for a member of the Election Board shall be invalidated. Any member of the board, as of the opening of the polls on the first day of elections, cannot win a position or seat in that election

  2. The Polling Place and Campaigning

    1. Each polling place shall be staffed by at least two voting members of the Elections Board ("pollsters"), and there shall be a copy of these Election Rules at each table. If a vacancy exists, the polls shall be closed until such time as two eligible members of the Elections Board can be present

    2. Painting the fence and chalking of buildings in relation to any candidate is prohibited. In addition, other campaigning techniques considered unethical by the Elections Board, with the concurrence of Senate, are prohibited

    3. With one (1) exception stated below, no campaigning, postering, or other visible or audible advertising or campaigning relating to any candidate shall be conducted within ten (10) meters of the polling places

    4. Violators of these restrictions shall be subject to disciplinary action by the University Disciplinary Committee

    5. Any campaigning material approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of Student Senate, at least one (1) week in advance of an election, may override the above restrictions

    6. The voting setup shall be either single table ballot voting or multiple table ballot voting

    7. All candidates must follow all University and Student policies, including postering and chalking policies

  3. Voters

    1. An eligible Voter is a Carnegie Mellon University student taking 19 units or more who has paid the Activities Fee for the current semester, who has not yet voted in the current elections

    2. An undergraduate Voter shall be permitted to vote for Senators only in his respective college, for campus-wide positions, and in referenda .

    3. A graduate Voter shall be permitted to vote only for campus wide positions and in referenda.

  4. Candidates

    1. Any qualified candidate may simultaneously run for multiple offices in the spring elections. Candidates elected to more than one office shall choose which office to assume and which office or offices to decline prior to the regular Student Senate meeting immediately following the Student Senate meeting at which the election results are ratified

    2. If whomever is elected declines an office, the office shall go to whomever received the next highest number of votes

    3. If no one is elected to an office, the office shall be declared vacant

  1. Petitions

    1. To be listed on the election ballot for membership in Student Senate, each qualified candidate must submit to the Chair of the Elections Board, no earlier than twenty-eight (28) days prior to the election and not later than ten (10) days prior to the election, a petition which shall contain the legibly printed names, signatures, and phone numbers or e-mail addresses of at least twenty-five (25) members or one-quarter (1/4) of the candidate's constituency

    2. The procedures for submitting a petition for President of the Student Body, Vice President of the Student Body, and Treasurer of the Student Body shall be given in the Constitution

    3. Approximately one-half (1/2) of the seats available in an undergraduate constituency shall be held up for election each semester.

  2. Balloting Procedures

    1. Single Table Method

      1. The Voter shall present valid photo identification to the pollsters.

      2. The pollsters shall check to ensure that the student is a valid eligible Voter by confirming the name or student identification number from the List that was obtained from the Division of Student Affairs.

      3. If a student claims to meet the criteria to be a Voter and is not listed as valid, then the pollsters shall follow the procedure for double enveloping.

      4. The pollsters shall then cross the Voter’s name off of the List. Then the pollsters shall return the photo identification, along with one ballot for the Voter’s college and one ballot, each, for referenda and campus-wide positions. The pollsters shall not touch the ballots after the votes have been cast.

      5. The stock of unused ballots shall be kept secure at all times.

    2. Multiple Table Computer Method

      1. A computer, connected to a network, shall be set up at each polling place.

      2. A secure telnet site, consisting of a database with (voted)(name)(identification number)(college), shall be set up by the Elections Board. A password shall be necessary to access this telnet site, and only voting members of the Elections Board shall have access to the password. The password shall not be released to the Elections Board until the first day that the polls are open.

      3. The telnet site shall not be accessed at a poll unless two voting members of the Elections Board are present. If less than two voting members of the Election Board are present at a poll, the computer at that poll must be logged off of the telnet site and turned off.

      4. The Voter must present valid photo identification to the pollsters.

      5. The pollsters shall check to ensure that the student is a valid eligible Voter by confirming the name or student identification number from the telnet database.

      6. If a student claims to meet the criteria to be a Voter, however they are not listed as valid, then the pollsters shall follow the procedure for double enveloping.

      7. The pollsters shall then mark the Voter’s status from "not voted" to "voted" in the telnet database. Then the pollsters shall return the photo identification, along with one ballot for the Voter’s college and one ballot, each, for referenda and campus-wide positions. The pollsters shall not touch the ballots after the votes have been cast.

      8. The stock of unused ballots shall be kept secure at all times.

    3. Multiple Table Divided List Method

      1. The List of students shall be divided by a method agreed upon by the Chair of the Elections Board and Student Senate. Different portions may be at each polling place, but no portion may be duplicated at two.

      2. The Voter must present valid photo identification to the pollsters.

      3. The pollsters shall check to ensure that the student is a valid eligible Voter by confirming the name or student identification number from the portion of the List at that polling place.

      4. If a student claims to meet the criteria to be a Voter, however they are not listed as valid, then the pollsters shall follow the procedure for double enveloping.

      5. The pollsters shall then cross the Voter’s name off of the portion of the List at that polling place. Then the pollsters shall return the photo identification, along with one ballot for the Voter’s college and one ballot, each, for referenda and campus-wide positions. The pollsters shall not touch the ballots after the votes have been cast.

      6. The stock of unused ballots shall be kept secure at all times.

    4. Multiple Table Online Method
    1. At least one computer with a connection to the network shall be set up at each polling space.
    2. A secure web site, updated in real time, containing online ballots and a voter verification database shall be maintained by the Elections Board. Voters shall cast their votes using this secure web site from the polling computer(s) or any other secure computer system.
    3. If a student claims to meet the criteria to be a Voter, however they are not able to log into the system as a valid user, then the pollsters shall require a photo ID and will follow the procedure for double enveloping.
    4. The pollsters shall then access the voter verification database and update the student’s vote status from "not voted" to "voted". Then the pollsters shall return the photo identification, along with one ballot for the voter’s college and one ballot, each, for referenda and campus-wide positions. The pollsters shall not touch the ballots after the votes have been cast.

    1. Double Enveloping

      1. In the case that information is not readily available to the pollsters pertaining to the status of a student, or there are other subjects which, in their opinion may throw doubt upon the validity of an individual vote. In these cases, the decision of validity shall be determined at the time when all votes are counted.

      2. The procedure in these cases shall be as follows:

        1. The pollsters shall give the voter two envelopes.

        2. The voter shall then seal their ballot in one of the envelopes, then seal the first envelope in the second envelope, onto which the pollsters shall write the Voter’s name and student ID number, along with the pollsters’ names and a description of the problem.

        3. This envelope shall then be put into the ballot box.

  1. Timing

    1. Fall term elections shall be held by the last day of October, and Spring term elections must be held in either March or April.

    2. Student Senate must establish and announce the election date at least thirty (30) days prior to that date.

    3. Student Senate must establish an Elections Board by the last day of September for Fall term elections, by the last day of February for Spring term elections. No candidate seeking a seat or office, nor currently holding a seat or office, may hold a position on the Elections Board.

    4. Student Senate shall choose, by a vote no later than fourteen (14) days before the elections, the location of election polls and their times of operation.

  1. Vote Counting

    1. The Counters

      1. The Chair of the Elections Board or another that he may name to act in his place.

      2. At least four (4) other voting members of the Elections Board.

      3. One (1) member of the Division of Student Affairs, who shall only oversee the counting

    2. The Procedure

      1. The official counters shall perform the vote counting within twenty-four (24) hours after the closing of the polls.

      2. The paper ballot tally shall be counted and recounted until a majority of the Elections Board members present agree upon the result before adding this tally to the results of the online voting.

      3. The tally for each candidate shall then be adjusted for any penalties for violations of the Election Rules. A candidate shall have his vote total cut by up to ten (10) percent of his gross for each violation of these rules.

      4. No counters may leave during the counting, except at the Elections Board Chair’s discretion.

    3. Election results are not final until such time as Student Senate approves the Elections Board's ratification of said results. This approval must be received at the next regular Student Senate meeting following the Elections Board's ratification of the election results.

VIII. Amendment of these rules shall require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of Student Senate.

Amended March 4, 1999: Changed petition requirements to coincide with the Student Senate Bylaws