Trustee Nominating Committee

Candidates and their supporters must follow all election guidelines outlined in this document. Failure to do so may result in disqualification of candidates by the Trustee Nominating Committee, hereafter referred to as the committee.

Candidate Information

1. Eligibility

Candidates must meet all of the petition requirements by the petition deadline to be eligible to participate in the election. Candidates and their supporters shall comply with all standing rules and regulations of the University.

1. A. Employee candidates must
   1. work full-time or part-time in a non-exempt, exempt, or academic non-professorial staff category
   2. work at the Ithaca or Geneva campus
   3. plan to remain so for the duration of their four-year term as trustee
2. Each petition must have a total of 100 valid, distinct signatures is required. Only signatures of those eligible to vote in the election shall be valid. It is recommended that candidates collect more than 100 signatures in the event that some cannot be validated.
3. Only official petition forms will be accepted. Any forms that have been modified or amended will not be accepted. Collection of NetIDs or other information for the candidate’s use is optional. If such information is collected, the candidate must collect it on a separate form. This optional material is not to be added to or substituted for the material requested on the official petition form, and it will render the entire petition page void if it is included.
4. The Office of the Assemblies will contact petitioners within 48 hours of the petitioning deadline if their petitions are deemed invalid.
5. All petitions may be reviewed in the office of the Assemblies (109 Day Hall, Mon-Fri from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) by any member of the community who wishes to examine them. Petitions may not be photocopied.
6. Candidates shall attend mandatory meetings or send a proxy on their behalf. If they fail to do so, they will be disqualified from the election.

2. Promotional Materials and Events

1. Each candidate may receive 300 single-sided 8.5” X 11” photocopied, black and white impressions at no charge. Submit poster design to the Office of the Assemblies for copying by the petitioning deadline. Candidates may select the color of the paper on which the materials are printed from a standard palette provided by the office. All materials must include the dates and times of the election that are set in the elections calendar.
2. Each candidate must complete the candidate background questions and statement via the web. Statements will be posted at the Trustee elections website, used on the ballot, and published in campus publications.
3. The Office of the University Registrar (B7 Day Hall) will take photographs of candidates prior to the petitioning deadline on the calendar. These photos and other candidate information will appear in campus publications, on the web and on the ballots. Candidates must use the official photo form.
4. All candidates are encouraged to participate in the Candidates’ Forum held by the Pawprint.

Election Guidelines

1. Maintaining a Fair Environment

Candidates and their supporters must comply with the election rules stated here. They shall not create an intimidating or uncomfortable environment for other candidates, students, or employees. They shall notify the committee of any potential violations immediately after they occur by emailing the Office of the Assemblies. They shall rectify any violations to the best of their ability upon notification by the committee. They may still submit a challenge for any violation at the conclusion of the campaigning period if desired.

Candidates and their supporters may not exceed a total of $100 for out-of-pocket spending and fair market value of donations of materials, professional services, and/or money. 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. If no money was spent for the campaign, a personally signed, dated statement of zero ($0) spending is still required to be turned in by the deadline.

All campaign materials, either physical or electronic, published by candidates and/or their supporters are to promote only the Employee Trustee candidate. Any materials that include the names, positions, or any other information regarding other elections are strictly prohibited.

2. Early Campaigning

Candidates and their supporters shall refrain from the following campaign activities until campaigning officially begins:

1. distributing printed or electronic campaign material to the public,
2. advertising candidacy by chalk, poster or other method designed for public viewing,
3. making speeches or statements to employee/student organizations or groups of employees/students.

Current trustee members seeking re-election are expected to refrain from any form of publicity during the petitioning period.

3. University Postering & Chalking Policy

Candidates and their supporters shall comply with the University Postering & Chalking Policy, included in the election packet.

4. Campus Mail

Use of Campus Mail for campaigning purposes is prohibited.

5. Electronic Communications

1. University-monitored e-mail mailing list traffic is at the discretion of the list owner. When in doubt, the candidate shall obtain permission from the owner of the list.
2. Candidates and their supporters shall comply with Cornell University e-mail policy.

6. Campus Code of Conduct

All candidates and their supporters shall comply with applicable rules and policies of the University, including the Campus Code of Conduct. Violations of the Code may be referred to the Judicial Administrator for appropriate action.

Petition and Campaign Penalties

The committee shall determine whether or not a candidate has committed a campaign violation. Campaign violations may result in appropriate remedial measures determined by the committee up to and including disqualification of a candidate. Should the committee decide that a violation or series of violations have been committed on such a scale as to alter the fairness of the election, it may disqualify a candidate by majority vote. Any concerns or complaints shall be sent to the Office of the Assemblies.

Election Procedures

1. The Elections Calendar

1. The committee shall adopt a spring elections calendar.
2. Consideration shall be given to any religious holidays that may fall during the election period, so that the right to free religious observance is afforded to all potential candidates.

2. The Trustee Nominating Committee

1. 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. Members must recuse themselves from the 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.
2. The committee shall meet as soon as possible after each challenge deadline.
3. The committee shall verify election results.

3. The Office of the Assemblies

1. The Office of the Assemblies by delegation from the committee shall prepare all printed material and distribute election packets.
2. The Office of the Assemblies shall validate petitions as follows:
   1. Check each petition for the required number of signatures and validate candidates and signatures as to eligibility to sign petitions.
   2. Bring any petitions it finds invalid to the committee for action.
   3. Make petitions available to any member of the community who wishes to examine them.

4. Conduction of Election and Tabulation

1. Paper ballots will be mailed to all eligible employees and will be due back by the deadline set forth in the elections calendar.
2. The order of names on the ballots shall be randomly selected.
3. The Office of the Assemblies will identify as eligible voters those who:
   1. work full-time or part-time in a non-exempt, exempt, or academic non-professorial staff category
   2. work at the Ithaca or Geneva campus
4. The Office of the Assemblies will tabulate votes using the Hare System, as described in Appendix A.
5. The Office of the Assemblies will secure ballots for one calendar year after the election.

5. Challenges

1. Eligibility to Challenge
   Any member of the Cornell community, except members of the committee, may submit a challenge.
2. Challenge Deadlines
   1. Petition challenges must be submitted to the Office of the Assemblies, 109 Day Hall, by 4:30 p.m. on the next business day following the petition deadline.
   2. Election challenges must be submitted by 12:30 p.m. on the next business day after ballots are due.
   3. No challenges or further supporting documentation will be accepted after these deadlines.
3. Format of Challenges
   Challenges must be in writing and accompanied by the following supporting documentation:
   1. Challenger’s name
   2. Candidate’s name
   3. Date of challenge
   4. Reason for challenge and supporting evidence
4. Notification of Election Challenges
   The Office of the Assemblies will send an email notifying anyone who is named in an election challenge.
5. Response to Election Challenges
   A challenged candidate may review challenges in the Office of the Assemblies, 109 Day Hall and address written statements in response to the committee.
6. Challenge Review Meeting
   The committee will schedule a meeting to review challenges in closed session and will decide the merit of each challenge by majority vote.
7. Appeals
   Appeals of committee decisions should be directed to the University Ombudsman within 24 hours of notification by the committee. The Ombudsman will consider whether the committee ruling was in compliance with the election rules, and may ask for a reconsideration of the ruling.
8. Finality
   The determination of the committee shall be final.
9. Confidentiality
   All challenges are confidential and shall be available only to the members of the committee.