Elections

Becoming a Candidate

Any currently enrolled, full-time undergraduate student who has paid their activity fee is eligible to run in Student Government elections for open Senate seats or open Executive positions. In the Spring semester, any student or registered student organization may place a referendumˆ or question on the ballot.  

• Monday, January 23 @ 8:00 AM - Filing for Candidacy Opens*
  • Location: Engage
• Thursday, January 26 @ 8:00 PM - Informational Meeting
  • Location: Shalala Student Center, Senate Room (3rd Floor)
  • Zoom ID: 952 1920 8890
• Monday, January 30 @ 8:00 PM - Informational Meeting & Mandatory Referenda Writing Workshopˆ
  • Location: StormSurge Room
  • Zoom ID: 956 1550 9090
• Wednesday, February 8 @ 12:00 PM (noon) - Filing for Candidacy Closes*
  • Location: Engage
• Wednesday, February 8 @ 9:15 PM - Mandatory Candidates & Referenda Sponsors' Meeting*
  • Location: Shalala Student Center, Senate Room

ˆPlease note: referenda require 500 student signatures to be featured on the ballot, it is recommended to reach out to the Elections Commission prior to collecting signatures. More information may be found in the election codes.

Interim Period

During this time, candidates are encouraged to begin preparing for their campaigns. They may set up attendance at meetings. While this time may be helpful to receive approval for campaign materials, candidates may also seek approval for graphic campaign materials immediately following filing for candidacy.

• Thursday, February 9 @ 8:00 AM - Interim Period Begins

Graphic Campaigning

Candidates may begin encouraging voters. Candidates should coordinate in-person graphic campaigning with their assigned Elections Commissioner. 

• Monday, February 13 @ 8:00 AM - Graphic Campaigning begins
• Tuesday, February 14 @ 12:00 PM - Meet the Candidates
  • Location: Rock Plaza
• Wednesday, February 15 @ 3:00 PM - Vote Rally
  • Location: Lakeside Patio
• Thursday, February 16 @ 6:00 PM - Debates
  • Location: The Rat
• Sunday, February 19 @ 11:59 PM - Final Campaign Member List Due*
  • Location: sgelections@miami.edu

Hearings regarding Election Code violations may occur on a case-by-case basis as determined by the Supreme Court. 

Elections

All currently enrolled, full-time undergraduate students who have paid their activity fee are eligible to vote in elections. If you are experiencing challenges with your ballot, please contact our advisor, Dr. Stevens at hstevens@miami.edu. Ballot change requests will only be granted until 5:00 PM on the last day of voting.

• Monday, February 20 @ 12:01 AM - Polls Open
  
  • In-Person Voting
    • Monday, February 20 @ 12:00 PM (noon) - Location: Lakeside Patio
    • Tuesday, February 21 @ 12:00 PM (noon) - Location: Rock Plaza
    • Wednesday, February 22 @ 12:00 PM (noon) - Location: Lakeside Patio
• Wednesday, February 22 @ 11:59 PM - Polls Close
• Wednesday, February 22 @ 11:59 PM - Financial Reports Due for Candidates*

Hearings regarding Election Code violations may occur on a case-by-case basis as determined by the Supreme Court. 

Results

• Thursday, February 23 @ 12:00 PM (noon)
  • Location: Lakeside Patio

Run-Off Elections & Results

In the case that an executive candidate does not receive 50% of the vote plus one vote or a senate candidate does not achieve plurality by way of a tie, we will host a run-off election for those candidates only.

• Thursday, February 23 @ 12:30 PM - Graphic Campaigning Begins
• Monday, February 27 @ 12:01 AM - Polls Open
• Wednesday, March 1 @ 11:59 PM - Polls Close
• Thursday, March 2 @ TBA - Results Announced

Hearings regarding Election Code violations may occur on a case-by-case basis as determined by the Supreme Court. 

*Items denoted with an asterisk (*) are required to maintain candidacy status. Candidates who fail to meet mandatory requirements may be subject to automatic disqualification. 

Senators serve one year terms with the possibility of continuing service if they meet candidacy requirements and win their respective election. Below is the schedule for open senate seats. The number beside each seat refers to the total amount of seats for that constituency that will be open. If a senate seat becomes vacant, the seat will be open for special appointment via application.

• What does filing for candidacy and running mean?

  Filing for candidacy means that you are indicating that you want to be involved in Student Government and you would like to represent your fellow students.

  For students interested in executive positions:

  • any currently enrolled, full time undergraduate student can vote for you.

  
  For students interested in senate:

  • Only students who fall into that group are eligible to vote for the representative of that group.

  Students who run for positions often campaign to educate voters about why they are the best candidate for a specific position. Campaign materials may include palm cards, t-shirts, flyers, emails, etc.
  
  

  Candidates are able to spend money on their campaign items, but they may spend no more than $300 for senate candidates or $1,000 collectively for executive candidates. Spending money is not a mandatory part of campaigning, but whether you spend money or not, you must submit a financial form to the Elections Commission by 10:00am on Thursday, February 20.

• What are the qualifications to file for candidacy?

  To run, you must have at least a 2.5 GPA for the Senate and a 2.75 GPA for Executive positions. Our advisors will also check discipline records for all candidates. In the Senate, you can only run for seats of which you are a constituent - for example, if you are in the College of Arts and Sciences, are a Junior, live off-campus, and are a Veteran student, you would only be eligible to run for one of those seats.

• What is included in the application to file for candidacy?

  Candidates will share their preferred name, bio to be featured on the ballot, headshot for the ballot, and seat running. Additional information including contact information, academic school/college, GPA, and other enrollment verification information. 

  Please note: candidates who are running on a ticket will have an additional page to complete related to their running mates and ticket name. 

• I'm planning to be a candidate. What happens if I do not attend the Candidates Meeting or Referenda Workshop?

  If you are running for candidacy - Senate or Executive - you must attend the meeting to learn about the election codes and receive confirmation that you meet all eligibility requirements. If you do not attend the meeting, you cannot run.

• What is a ticket?

  A ticket is a group of people who are all running for their seats together - meaning that they would be working towards and accomplishing the same goals if elected. To be a ticket you much fall in to no more than one of these categories:

  • Candidates running for a single school (Senate)
  • Candidates running for a single academic class (Senate)
  • Candidates running for a residential constituency (Senate)
  • Candidates running for a unique population (Senate)
  • Candidates running for President, Vice President and/or Treasurer (Executive)

• Do candidates have to follow specific rules?

  Yes, candidates must follow the election codes. The Elections Commission works hard to ensure a fair election. They enforce and maintain Election Codes that ALL candidates and other students campaigning for candidates must follow. You can access the elections codes here. 

• Is there somewhere that I can report a candidate who I think is behaving inappropriately?

  The goal of the Elections Commission is to create a fair and open election. If you think someone may be breaking an outlined rule, please contact an elections commissioner.

• Who do I contact if I have a question?

  The Elections Commission runs elections. All questions related to elections should be directed to the Chair - sgelections@miami.edu.

Student Government Elections serve the crucial purpose of enabling the elections for positions representing the undergraduate student body. All full-time enrolled undergraduate students are eligible to vote in fall and spring elections. Both fall and spring elections feature senate seats; only spring elections feature executive candidates (president, vice president, and treasurer) and referenda.

• Fall 2022
• Spring 2022
• Fall 2021
• Spring 2021
• Fall 2020
• Spring 2020
• Fall 2019
• Spring 2019
• Fall 2018
• Spring 2018
• Fall 2017
• Spring 2017
• Fall 2016