Student Assembly

As introduced Thursday, 25 January 2007.

Whereas, it is the duty of this Student Assembly to ensure that every Cornell undergraduate has a fair and equal chance to run for a seat on this body or the University Assembly if they so choose;

Whereas, the current election structure prescribed by the standing SA & UA Election Rules has proven to greatly � and often fatally � disadvantage independent candidates in races for positions on both Student Assembly and University Assembly;

Whereas, this situation has long and incontrovertibly discouraged � and, if left unchanged, will continue to discourage � many a qualified Cornellian outside of an often select (and, to be sure, often pre-selected) few from even so much as seeking to serve and improve his or her community;

Whereas, it is in both the immediate and ultimate best interests of this assembly � and, more importantly, the student body from whom its representatives have received the mandate by which they serve � to assure and advance the age-old political ideal contained in the adage “may the best candidate win”;

Be it therefore resolved that the Student Assembly adopt the attached set of Election Rules to be enforced immediately upon their passage;

Be it further resolved that, in a tribute to the spirit behind this action, the members of this council pledge in the form of their votes in favor of this resolution to now and forever seek to recognize and realize additional methods to increase voter turnout and participation in student government, thus ensuring that every Cornell student’s voice is, and will continue to be, both heard and heeded.

Respectfully submitted,

Mark Coombs ‘08 Executive Vice President

Elan Greenberg ‘08 Vice President of Internal Operations

Vincent Hartman ‘08 Undesignated Student Representative

SA & UA Election Rules

Article I. Election Guidelines Elections are the foundation upon which representative governance rests. These rules are designed to protect the rights of all candidates, as well as all members of the University community, and to ensure that the election process takes place in an open and fair arena. Candidates are expected to respect the rights and privileges of all members of the Cornell community, and to follow all election guidelines outlined in this document. A. Candidate Information 1. Eligibility Candidates must meet all petition requirements by the deadline to be eligible to participate in the election. a. Candidates must be fully registered students with the University by term commencement, and plan to attend classes on the Ithaca campus for the duration of their term. b. Each petition must have the necessary number of signatures and signatories must be registered students from the proper constituency. c. A candidate will be contacted within 24 hours of the petitioning deadline if her or his petition is deemed invalid. d. All petitions will be available to any member of the community who wishes to examine them in the Office of the Assemblies, 109 Day Hall. Petitions may not be photocopied once submitted. e. Candidates must submit all receipts and proof of fair market value to the Office of the Assemblies, 109 Day Hall, by 12:30 p.m. on the last day of the election. Failure to do so will disqualify a candidate from taking a seat on the Assembly. 2. Promotional Materials Each candidate receives 300 one-sided 8 1/2” X 11” printed materials at no charge. Poster or quarter card design should be submitted to the Office of the Assembles, 109 Day Hall, for copying. All materials must be in compliance with election guidelines and include the date and time of the election. None of the promotional material provided by the Office of Assemblies shall contain other candidates’ names, a common ticket name, or a shared slogan. 3. Written Statements Each candidate is asked to submit a short statement [comprising no more than 13 lines when constrained by a space 5 1/2” X 2 1/4” (approximately 1,250 characters)] via the web at http://assembly.cornell.edu/Elections. Statements will be posted on the SA website, published in the Cornell Daily Sun, and used on the ballot. Statements may not include campus political organizations, other candidates’ names, a common ticket name, or a shared slogan. 4. Pictures Candidates must have their photos taken in the Office of the University Registrar, B7 Day Hall, before the petition deadline. Photos will be posted on the SA website, published in the Cornell Daily Sun, and used on the ballot. 5. Forum All candidates are expected to participate in the Candidates’ Forum held by the Election Committee. B. Election Guidelines 1. Early Campaigning Candidates must refrain from the following campaign activities until campaigning officially begins: a. distribution of printed campaign material to the public, b. advertising candidacy by chalk, poster, or other method designed for public viewing, or c. making speeches or statements to student organizations or groups of students. d. Current SA members seeking reelection are expected to refrain from any form of individual or self promoting publicity during the petitioning period. 2. University Postering & Chalking Policy Candidates are expected to comply with the University Postering & Chalking Policy, included in the election packet and found online at http://www.sao.cornell.edu/SO/postering.php. 3. Postering in Residence Halls Candidates are expected to comply with Campus Life policies re: visiting, leafleting, canvassing, and postering in residence halls, an excerpt of which is included in the election packet (full text available online: http://housing.cornell.edu/housing_residential/house_rules.asp?action=article&ID=2698). As per Campus Life policies, posters cannot be placed under residence hall room doors or hung on doors without the permission of the resident(s) of the room. 5. Campaigning in Residence Halls According to the Building Safety Code, candidates may only campaign door-to-door in a hall they have the key for, unless accompanied by a resident of the dorm. The hours a candidate is allowed to campaign in a residence hall are restricted to 6:00 p.m. — 10:00 p.m. Mon — Fri and 2:00 p.m. — 10:00 p.m. Sat & Sun. RAs may ask a candidate to leave if s/he does not follow these guidelines. 6. Campus Mail Use of Campus Mail for campaigning purposes is prohibited. 7. Electronic Communications a. Candidates shall refrain from spamming persons unknown to themselves. b. University-monitored listserv traffic is at the discretion of the listserv owner. c. Lists provided or supported by University departments may not be used for campaign purposes. d. Candidates shall comply with University email policy, viewable online at http://www.policy.cornell.edu/vol5_1.cfm. 8. Campaign Finance Candidates must submit all receipts and proof of fair market value to the Office of the Assemblies, 109 Day Hall, by 12:30 p.m. on the last day of the election. a. Candidates may not exceed the $50 limit for out-of-pocket expenses and fair market value of donations of materials, professional services, and/or money. b. Spending Restrictions i. Candidates in uncontested races (when only one candidate has submitted a petition) are limited to 300 copies and $10 for out-of-pocket expenses. ii. Candidates shall not share costs with other candidates. “Shared costs” shall include promotional material that contains other candidates’ names, a common ticket name, or a shared slogan. iii. Unwanted Donations Any expenses made on behalf of a candidate by an organization against her or his wishes will not count toward that candidate’s total expenses. 9. Endorsements All registered student organizations receiving funds from the Student Assembly are expected to abide by the guidelines below. The Election Committee may recommend fines and/or impoundment of funds to the Assembly for organizations failing to comply. a. Organizations receiving money directly or indirectly from the Student Assembly may not donate money or supplies to candidates. b. Organizations seeking to endorse candidates must give all petitioners and the Director of Elections 48 hours advance notice of endorsement meetings. C. Petition and Campaign Penalties The Election Committee shall investigate and rule on all challenges brought to its attention through formal challenges. The jurisdiction of Election Committee shall be restricted to this document. Campaign violations may result in appropriate remedial measures, determined by the Election Committee up to and including disqualification of a candidate. 1. The Election Committee will determine whether or not a candidate has committed a campaign violation. 2. Should the Committee decide that a violation has been committed on such a scale as to alter the fairness of the election, it may disqualify a candidate by majority vote. 3. Should there be more than one challenge to a candidate, the Election Committee will make a decision by viewing the challenges against a candidate in the aggregate. 4. All candidates are expected to act in conformity with all standing rules and regulations of the University, including the Campus Code of Conduct (online at http://www.policy.cornell.edu/CM_Images/Uploads/POL/campus_code_of_conduct.html). Violations of the Code should be referred to the Judicial Administrator for appropriate action. 5. Candidates must submit all receipts and proof of fair market value to the Office of the Assemblies, 109 Day Hall, by 12:30 p.m. on the last day of the election. Failure to do so will disqualify a candidate from taking a seat on the Assembly. Article II. Election Procedures A. The Elections Calendar 1. The calendar for the fall and spring elections shall be confirmed by the Student Assembly in the semester prior to the election. 2. Consideration shall be given to any religious holidays that may fall during the election period, guaranteeing that the right to free religious observance is afforded to all potential candidates. 3. The Candidate Forum will not be canceled. B. The Election Committee 1. Membership a. Voting members of the Election Committee shall only include graduating senior who are voting members of the Student and University Assemblies. The SA Director of Elections shall serve as chair and the Director of the Office of the Assemblies shall serve as a non-voting ex-officio member of this committee. b. The Director of Elections shall publish at the beginning of each semester a list of Assembly seats to be filled, in accordance with Student Assembly Charter � 3.1. c. Election Committee members are expected to abide by the highest standards of personal conduct and integrity. Therefore, members should not be actively involved in the campaigning process. Graduating seniors are mandated to excuse themselves from serving on the Election Committee if they plan to actively take part in a campaign or sit on the executive board of an organization that has endorsed a candidate. All conflicts should be considered before the election cycle begins. d. The Election Committee should be prepared to meet immediately following the challenge deadlines to rule on all pertinent challenges. e. The Election Committee shall use Robert’s Rules of Order in accordance with Student Assembly Charter � 6.6 to consider challenges. f. The Election Committee shall verify election results. C. Conduction of Election and Tabulation 1. The order in which names appear on the ballot shall be randomly selected. 2. Tabulation of the results of voting shall be carried out using simple plurality. 3. The Office of the Assemblies will post preliminary results for unchallenged races at 4:30 p.m. on the day following the election. Preliminary results for challenged races will be posted after the Election Committee has ruled on those challenges. 4. The Election Committee will not have access to the preliminary results prior to and during challenge deliberations. Preliminary results shall include only candidates who where not disqualified. 5. The official announcement of results shall be at the next Assembly meeting following the conclusion of any post-election proceedings. 6. A printout of election results shall be available in the Office of the Assemblies for one year. D. Challenges 1. Deadlines a. Petition challenges must be submitted to the Office of the Assemblies, 109 Day Hall, by 12:30 p.m. on the day following the petition deadline. No challenges will be accepted after this deadline. b. Election challenges must be submitted to the Office of the Assemblies, 109 Day Hall, by 12:30 p.m. on the last day of the election. No challenges will be accepted after this deadline. 2. Forms Challenges must be on the Election Challenge Form and contain the following information: ∑ Challenger’s Name ∑ Candidate’s Name ∑ Date of Challenge ∑ Reason for the Challenge and Supporting Evidence Any member of the Cornell community may submit a challenge and all challenges are public documents. 3. Hearings Candidates should stop in the Office of Assemblies, 109 Day Hall, after both the petition and election challenge deadlines to review all challenges. Anyone who has submitted or is named in a challenge may submit a written statement to the Election Committee or address the committee at the petition and election challenge hearings. a. The structure of Election Committee hearings will be:

i. Challenger Presentation		3 Minutes
ii. Challenged Presentation		3 Minutes
iii. Challenger Response		1 Minute
iv. Challenged Response		1 Minute
v. Election Committee Questions	4 Minutes

b. Only those challenging or named in the challenge shall be present during a hearing. c. Minutes will be recorded for each hearing, and available to the public. d. The Election Committee will meet in closed session to decide on the merit of the challenge, and all voting decisions will be made in executive session. No minutes will be recorded for this portion of the challenge process. 4. Appeals Appeals should be directed to the University Ombudsman within 24 hours of notification by the Director of Elections of the Election Committee’s decision. The Ombudsman will consider whether the Election Committee’s ruling complies with the election rules, and may ask for a reconsideration of the ruling. a. The Director of Elections will be required to meet with the Ombudsman if there is an appeal to the Ombudsman. b. The Election Committee must then meet to reconsider the challenge in the same format as the original hearing with the addition of the Ombudsman and make a final decision.