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.