Columbia College Student Council Elections Regulations

1. Any full-time Columbia College student in good academic standing, and who is registered as a member of the electorate s/he is seeking to represent, is eligible for office.
2. Each candidate is required to file a Candidate Registration Form by the deadline set by CENA. All prospective candidates must comply with CENA regulations.
3. All campaign activities are subject to university dormitory, dining hall. and other official regulations. Candidates are responsible for checking with the appropriate University staff members or with CENA when considering campaign activities not described in these regulations.
4. Write-in votes will be accepted. Submission of Candidate Registration Forms will not be required for write-in-candidates. Anyone, however. who announces his/her candidacy in any way. will be considered a formal candidate. as such, s/he will be bound by all regulations.
5. Rules Regarding Parties

1. Candidates may choose to run as parties; the ballot itself will recognize such parties.
2. No party may be affiliated with any national or campus-recognized group. All parties are subject to the final approval of CENA.
3. By the date announced by CENA each candidate running in a party must submit to CENA a Party Identification Form, including the party name and names of all other members of the party Any inconsistencies among party forms may result in invalidation of the party.
4. Candidates may list their party affiliations and any running mates on any printed material approved by CENA.
5. Candidates for Class President and Class Vice President must run as a ticket - i.e., as part of a party or as an entire party unto themselves.

6. Rules Regarding Endorsement

1. Prior to announcing or publicizing in any way endorsements received from campus organizations (except the media) a candidate must submit a completed Candidate Endorsement Form to CENA. The Candidate Endorsement Form must be completed and signed by the president of the endorsing organization. certifying that the organization decided to endorse the candidate by majority vote at a full meeting of the organization.
2. Endorsing organizations may not provide financial or material support to candidates. Their members may campaign on behalf of candidates, but must comply with all CENA regulations and distribute only materials submitted to CENA by the candidate and approved by CENA.

1. Candidates may produce no more than 250 flyers to post or distribute as campaign materials. Flyers must be standard photocopies with black ink on 8 1/2 x 11 paper. All flyers must be submitted to CENA by the announced deadline and upon approval by CENA. individually stamped with CENA's approval stamp by the candidate. No other campaign material will be permitted.
2. Anything distributed in association with a campaign is considered campaign material. Said material is subject to guidelines forbidding obscene, pornographic, racist, homophobia, sexist alcohol-related, and materials otherwise determined offensive by CENA. All campaign materials (originals and copies) must be submitted to CENA. CENA reserves the right to reject unacceptable materials and require the submission of new materials.
3. Campaign materials may not mention or attack. directly or indirectly, other candidates in any way
4. Candidates will be responsible for the placing of their own posters after submitting them to CENA. Posters not be placed on windows. glass-doors. residents' doors (except by permission of the resident), or put in university offices.. Postering must be confined to residence halls, classroom buildings, and Ferris Booth Hall. Candidates are responsible for the locations of their posters. Candidates may not eliminate damage, cover opponents posters, or place posters in unauthorized locations.
5. No alcoholic beverages may be served in connection with a candidate's campaign.

8. Rules Regarding Campaigning

1. Campaigning includes but is not limited to the following: Any attempt to solicit votes, distribution of materials, door-to-door canvassing, public announcements, and telephone canvassing.
2. Candidates are responsible for the campaign-related actions of those whom they encourage, request, or solicit to be a part of their campaign. Further. candidates should notify such persons of the CENA regulations.
3. Door-to door campaigning may take place only between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. daily
4. Candidates may campaign using the Rolm system and electronic mail but are subject to the guidelines of the Office of Telecommunications and ACIS respectively. Any campaign messages sent through Rolm are subject to all campaign rules.
5. Campaigning may not take place within posted voting areas during voting times.
6. Candidates may not knowingly mix-represent themselves or factual information in any campaign activities. Candidates may not attack, the character of another candidate or in any way knowingly makes false charge against another candidate's position or experience.
7. Candidates are expected to be mindful and considerate of other candidates' campaign materials.

9. Rules Regarding Referenda

1. In order to place a referendum on the ballot, a petition containing the valid signatures of 150 full-time Columbia College students must be obtained and/or two thirds of all voting members of the Columbia College Student Council (CCSC) must vote to place a question on the ballot. Such action must be completed before the assigned deadline in order for the questions to qualify. CENA will exercise discretion regarding the inclusion of a question in extreme cases.
2. Referenda may be either amendments to the CCSC Constitution or survey questions for the College electorate. In order to amend the constitution. however, (one third of the electorate must bootie on the questions. A simple majority of those voting will constitute passage.
3. At a date to be determined by CENA, all referenda must be submitted to CENA for approval prior to circulation.
4. CENA reserves the right to reject the working of any referendum. Groups will be given the opportunity to reword and/or submit any rejected referendum. Any such submission must be within 24 hours after rejection.
5. Approved referenda will be available for circulation the following morning.
6. Campaign materials used by groups opposing or supporting referenda must conform to all CENA rules regarding campaigning materials.
7. CENA will prepare a Voter Information Guide, which will be available in all URH mail rooms, 101 FBH. 206 FBH. 202 Hamilton. College Library, and at the polling locations. Candidates will be grouped according to the office they seek. In order to be included in the Guide, candidates must submit one single-sided S.: inches x 11 inches page to contain any text or images desired (as per postering limitations). This page will be photocopied and will constitute the candidate's representation in the Guide. All submissions are subject to approval by the CENA and must be submitted with the campaign materials.

1. Voting will be majority ballot.
2. A simple plurality of votes will suffice for the victor in any office..
3. A representative of the Office of Student Activities Committee must be present when the votes are tallied.
4. Commissioners will tally the number of students who have signed the voter register and compare the number to the vote totals. If the discrepancy is greater than 2%, the election will be declared invalid.
5. Appeals of election results may be made to the CENA in writing by any student within one day of the announcement of results. Results become official after the last appeal is decided.
6. Positions on the ballot will be determined by lot at a meeting of the candidates with CENA.
7. Time and place of polling are to be decided by CENA. CENA reserves the right to make minor changes in the schedule if they are deemed necessary.
8. In order to vote, students must present a valid CUID and be verified as registered in the electorate. All Columbia College students will be allowed to vote for all offices, except that only members of a particular class may vote for the President of that class. Seniors will also vote for recipients of prizes. Juniors will vote for their class senior marshals for next year.
9. No candidate may request a re-count unless the numerical difference between the candidates total and the named winner's total is less than or equal to one percent ( 1%) of all votes cast in that race. Such request must be submitted in writing to CENA within one day of the announcement of the results.
10. Any candidate may have a representative present at the counting of the ballots (although candidates are ineligible to be present, either for themselves or for another candidate), but CENA must be made aware of the representative's identity in writing by the candidate prior to the counting of ballots.
11. All decisions of CENA are final unless reversed through appeal to the Judicial committee.

12. Communication with the CENA

1. All communications with CENA must be submitted in writing, typed or legibly printed. to CENA at the Office of Student Activities. 206 FBH, or the Student Government Office, 101 FBH. between 9:00 a.m. anal 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
2. Allegations of rule violations must be submitted on a Rules Violation Fonn. Any submission must clearly identify the rule(s) allegedly violated and cite specifically the action(s) alleged to constitute the rules' violation(s). All evidence documentation, corroborating accounts, and other materials intended to support the complaint must be attached to the Rules Violation Form.
3. Anyone submitting a Rule Violation Form to CENA must also provide a copy of the Rules Violation Form to the alleged rules violator. who may then submit a rebuttal to the charges to CENA in writing.
4. CENA will investigate and rule on the rules violation complaint based on the information provided on the Rules Violation Form and any information rebutting the alleged violation submitted by the alleged violator.
5. CENA will call a hearing to investigate the violation if deemed necessary by CENA, and notify the parties of the `rime and date of the hearing. Parties to the complaint must be available for any hearing scheduled unless it conflicts with a class. and may send a surrogate in the event that they are unable to attend the hearing.