Elections Procedures Act

The Student Government President will appoint a chairperson to the Election Rules Committee. The chairperson will be appointed from the members of the Student Government, and shall assume the duties of chairperson upon a 2/3 majority vote of the Student Government voting members present at any Student Government meeting.
In addition to the chairperson, the Election Rules Committee will consist of at least two other members, who shall be agreed upon by the chairperson and Student Government President.
The Election Rules Committee will be responsible for coordinating all aspects of every Student Government campus election, according to the Election Procedures set forth in this document.
The Election Rules Committee shall be responsible for assuring compliance with all election rules.
Any member of the Election Rules Committee who intends to file and seek election to a Student Government office must resign his committee position prior to filing and actively campaigning.

Section B: Election Dates and Terms of Office

Student Government elections will be held once each academic year. This election shall determine the officers and representatives of Student Government. Terms of office for officers and representatives shall be an academic year. Term of office shall be May 1 to April 30.
This election will be held the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday two weeks after the university spring break. Elected candidates will assume office on May 1 following this election

Section C: Candidate requirements

All members of the SG elected leadership must: (SG elected leadership refers to members of the Executive Council and the Senate)

Be in good standing with the university (minimum 2.0 GPA). Executive Council members must, at the time of election and throughout the term of office, have a 2.5 cumulative GPA.
Be currently enrolled in at least 6 credit hours at USF St. Petersburg and have identified USF St. Petersburg as their home campus.
Fulfill the obligations of his/her elected position.
Attend weekly SGA meetings and other special meetings as required
Be enrolled in a minimum of 3 credit hours in the summer term. In the event that there are no academic credit courses offered to a Student Government member (i.e. summer term), that member shall be exempted from the minimum course requirements.
Those interested in serving in any Executive Council role must have completed a minimum of 15 credit hours at USF St. Petersburg prior to running for office.

Section D: Election Committee Candidacy Process

The process for candidates to any SG office is as follows:

Every campus election shall be publicized for three weeks prior to Election Day. Publicity should include fliers, posters, and any other means available, i.e. campus newspaper, newsletters, or announcements. Election publicity should specify positions available, candidate qualifications, when and where to file, and other information which the Election Rules Committee find necessary.
The Election Rules Committee will publicize to the student body, for at least two weeks, information concerning the election, i.e. date, times, polling place.
The Election Rules Committee will prepare an information packet to issue each candidate. This packet should contain a Student Government Constitution and governing acts, which will serve to inform the candidate concerning qualifications for all positions in Student Government and concerning these election procedures. The committee may also provide other candidate information as may be necessary.
Completed petitions must be returned to the Election Rules Committee by 9:00 a.m. on the Friday before the election begins. The committee must validate each student signature on a candidate’s petition before declaring that candidate officially eligible for election. If petitions are received and approved for more than the allotted number of representative positions, then all of the representative positions for that college will be voted on in the general election.
The Election Rules Committee will establish and include in a candidate information packet the following specific instructions:

Dates when campaigning shall begin and end.
Restrictions on placement of campaign material.
Location of campaign speeches.
Date and time of election.
Placement of the polls.
Date when all campaign material must be removed from display on campus.

Section E: Election Process

Executive Council candidates must complete a candidate packet, including: a petition signed by 50 USF St. Petersburg students (students must have identified USFSP as their home campus) who support his/her candidacy; Senate candidates must also complete a candidate packet, including at petition signed by 25 USF St. Petersburg students (students must have identified USFSP as their home campus)who support his/her candidacy. Candidates may not sign their own petitions.

All SG positions are voted on by the entire student body who have identified USFSP as their home campus (1 person, 1 vote) in a spring election. All positions are year long terms from May 1 to April 31.

Elections will be run by the Elections Committee and no candidate may serve as a poll worker. A poll worker must maintain neutrality at his/her polling post. Any violations will immediately be brought before the Election Rules Committee.
Elections will be held in the Davis Lobby or other student space determined by the Elections Committee. Web based voting may result in changes to the process.
Results will be tabulated by the Election Committee and supervised by the Director of Student Life or designee. Ballots will be counted only after the polls have been officially and finally closed at the end of the election. Ballots will be counted by the Election Rules Committee and by the Director of Student Life. There will be a mandatory recount of ballots in all races before the election is validated and the winners are announced.
A candidate will be declared elected when he/she receives a majority of the votes cast for each particular position.
In the event that no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast in a particular race, there shall be a run-off election between the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes. Any run-off election shall be publicized for four school days following the election with the run-off held on the fifth school day. Candidates involved in a run-off election shall be subject to the same campaign rules which governed the initial campaign. However, the deadline for removal of campaign materials will be re-established by the Election Rules Committee.

Section F: Campaign Rules and Regulations

Apply to all those running for any SG office:

1. Posters will be hung on bulletin boards throughout campus except those designated for use by specific colleges and academic advisors by Student Life staff. No campaign material may be posted on classroom or office doors. All posters must be removed immediately following the election. A maximum of 25 flyers/posters should be delivered to the Campus Activities Center.
Handbills may be distributed throughout the lobbies and halls of DAV, COQ, BAY, Bayboro Station and MSL buildings, as well as outside.
Speeches may be conducted in the Davis Lobby between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. as well as between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., except on election days.
There will be no active campaigning in classrooms during class time unless approved by the course instructor.
No campaigning of any kind will be allowed on the days of the election in Davis Lobby. All posters and handbills must be removed from Davis Lobby by 9:00 a.m., the first day of elections.
Any violation of the above rules may result in disqualification.
Any candidate who violates any of the election procedures set forth by the
Constitution or any other rules established by the Election Rules Committee, shall be subject to disqualification. Disqualification of a candidate shall be decided by the Judicial Committee.
Any student, candidate, or Student Government member may challenge the election or the actions of the Election Rules committee if they feel that the committee has neglected to run the election fairly or have failed to comply with these Election Procedures. All cases of allegations shall be brought before the Judicial Committee, which may take action, i.e. a new election or disqualification of an unqualified candidate or other circumstances which may require impartial solutions.

Section G: Voting Eligibility

Every member of the student body who has designated USF St. Petersburg as their home campus is eligible to vote in the general election of officers and representatives of Student Government.