Solano Community College District Policies

Student Services Policies
Student Activities and Development
Series 5500-5710

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ASSOCIATED STUDENTS ELECTIONS 5505

POLICY:
The Associated Students of Solano College (ASSC) shall conduct annual elections to elect the following officers: President, Vice President, Legislative Advocate, and Student Trustee. The elections shall be conducted in accordance with procedures established by the Associated Students of Solano College Election Code.

Any student elected as an officer shall meet both of the following requirements: (1) the student shall be enrolled in the District at the time of filing for candidacy, during the election, and throughout his or her term of office, with a minimum of six semester units or the equivalent, and (2) the student shall meet and maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.3 in all coursework taken at Solano Community College.

REFERENCES/
AUTHORITY:
California Education Code Section 76061

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BP5505

Executive Council Review: April 17, 2006
Shared Governance Review: October 11, 2006

ADOPTED: November 1, 2006




SOLANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
STUDENT SERVICES PROCEDURES

ASSOCIATED STUDENTS ELECTIONS 5505

Election Code

Article I.
The Election Committee

1. The Election Committee shall be chaired by the Student Services Senator. If the Student Services Senator is a candidate in the election, the Student Senate shall elect a senator to be the Election Committee chair. The Student Services Senator may decline the appointment as Election Committee Chair; in such case, the Student Senate shall elect a senator to be the Election Committee Chair.

2. The Student Senate shall appoint no more than six members of the ASSC to sit on the Election Committee. Members of the Election Committee shall not be candidates for any office in that election. The ASSC Advisor will be an ex-officio member of the Election Committee.

3. No member of the Election Committee may actively campaign for any candidate in the election. Violators of this section shall be removed from the Election Committee by the Chair.

4. Any member of the Election Committee, including the chair, may be removed from the committee by a majority vote of the Student Senate.

5. The Election Committee shall have the power to interpret and enforce this election code. Appeals to the decisions made by the Election Committee may be brought before the ASSC Advisor (see Art. XII. Sec. 5).

6. It shall be the responsibility of the Election Committee to publicize the election in cooperation with the Public Relations Officer.

7. Discussion during Election Committee meetings may be limited to members of the committee at the discretion of the chair.

8. The Election Committee may meet in closed session only when discussing alleged violations of the Election Code.

9. The Election Committee Chair shall appoint a secretary who shall take the minutes of all Election Committee meetings.

Article II.
The Election Calendar

1. The Election Committee shall present to the Spring Semester’s Student Senate at least two months before the scheduled date for elections, a calendar that shall include the filing period, the deadline for filing, a mandatory candidates’ meeting, the election assembly, the election dates, the day for counting the ballots, and dates for run-off election if needed.

2. The election calendar shall be approved by a majority vote of the Student Senate, and the Student Senate shall have the right to make changes to the calendar as required.

Article III.
Declarations of Candidacy

1. Declaration of candidacy forms shall be made available to members of the ASSC no less than ten working days prior to the deadline for filing.

2. The Election Committee shall present to the ASSC Advisor the applications, who shall then verify the candidates’ qualifications, as defined by the ASSC Bylaws, Article I, Section I, Part C. If the candidate is not qualified, the Election Committee shall deny them candidacy.

3. If no candidate for a position is qualified, then applications for that position shall be reopened by the Student Senate.

4. By signing the declaration of candidacy form, the candidate agrees to abide by the ASSC Election Code, Bylaws, Constitution, and rules of the Election Committee.

Article IV.
The Election

1. The exact date and locations of the elections shall be determined by the Election Committee and approved by the Student Senate.

2. The polls shall be opened during four days and four nights.

3. The persons hired to work the polls during the elections shall be paid the current Solano Community College minimum wage and shall not actively campaign for any candidate.

4. Voters must be currently registered as students of Solano Community College at the time of voting.

5. Voters must show some form of picture identification in order to receive a ballot, (i.e. Student ID card, Driver’s License, Military ID card, etc.)

Article V.
Ballots

1. Ballots must state incumbency.

2. Ballots may not state political affiliation.

3. The Election Committee Chair shall submit a draft ballot to the Student Senate for approval prior to the election.

4. The position of names on the ballot shall be determined by drawing numbers in both the general and the run-off elections.

5. There shall be a space for write-in votes for each office.

6. Candidates running unopposed shall be elected by a “yes/no” vote. If a candidate does not receive a simple majority of yes votes (50% + 1), then applications shall re-open for that position and the previous candidate may not run unopposed.

Article VI.
Pre-Election Meeting

1. A mandatory pre-election candidates’ meeting shall be held after the deadline for filing and before the beginning of the campaigning.

2. All guidelines shall be clearly defined by the Election Committee and shall be completely understood by all candidates before any campaigning begins.

3. One member of a President/Vice-President unit may be absent from the mandatory meeting provided that the other member is present. Candidates for President or Vice President shall be responsible for information given to their partners or for violations by their partners.

4. Non-attendance of any candidate at the mandatory pre-election meeting shall result in immediate disqualification from the election. Non-attendance includes being tardy or leaving the meeting prior to official adjournment.

5. Additional candidate meetings may be scheduled by the Election Committee Chair. Meetings shall be announced 72 hours before the meeting. The meetings shall be optional; however each candidate will be responsible for the information given during the meeting. Candidates may select a representative to attend the meetings on their behalf.

Article VII.
Presidential/Vice Presidential Candidates

1. Candidates for President and Vice-President must run as a team.

2. If a candidate for President or Vice-President withdraws or is disqualified, their partner shall also be disqualified.

3. Candidates for President or Vice President shall be held responsible for information given to their partners or for violations by their partners.

Article VIII.
Withdrawal

1. A candidate may withdraw from the selection by indicating so in writing and delivering it to the Election Committee Chair and the ASSC Advisor.

2. If a candidate withdraws from the election, his or her name shall be marked off of each ballot. That candidate shall not be a valid write-in candidate for the position for which he or she withdrew.

Article IX.
Write-Ins

1. Any student who meets the candidate qualifications of Article 1, Section 1, Part C of the ASSC Bylaws may be a write-in for any position.

2. Candidates for President or Vice-President running without a running mate shall not be valid write-ins.

3. In the race for President/Vice President the first name of a unit written-in shall be considered the candidate for President.

4. Write-ins shall only be valid if they include the first and last name.

5. Ballots for unqualified write-in candidates shall be counted as void for that position.

6. Members of the Election Committee shall not be valid write-in candidates.

7. Write-in candidates must obey the same campaigning and posting rules as candidates who have filled out declaration of candidacy forms.

8. Voters may vote for write-in candidates by placing stickers distributed by write-in candidates on the ballot, provided that the sticker does not cover any other name on the ballot.

Article X.
Election Assembly

1. The Election Committee will make provisions for an Election Assembly to be held on Wednesday and Thursday of Campaign Week.

2. Participants in the assembly will deliver their speeches in the same order that their names will appear on the ballot. Time limits will be decided by the Election Committee.

3. Participation in the assembly is mandatory. Candidates that do not attend, are tardy, or leave the election assembly prior to official adjournment will be disqualified from the election.

4. Write-in candidates may participate in the assembly.

5. The Election Committee shall have the power to create additional rules to manage the Election Assembly.

Article XI.
Campaigning

1. The distribution of the services and materials shall be administered and regulated by the Election Committee.

a) All campaign materials (i.e. signs, posters, buttons, and flyers) must be approved by an Election Committee Member or the ASSC Advisor before they are printed, posted or distributed.

b) Candidates may use up to 20 feet of butcher paper and 16 poster boards provided by the ASSC.

c) Candidates may have up to 1000 copies of campaign literature printed on campus in the Graphic Arts Center. (No campaign materials may be printed in the Student Development Office.) Candidates shall turn the material over to the Election Committee Chair who shall have the material printed on behalf of the candidates.

d) Candidates may not use SCC equipment, resources, or staff/faculty for their campaigning, with the exception of facilities, tables, chairs, and any resources expressly authorized in the Election Code. Candidates may request staff assistance when using a ladder to hang campaign materials in the 1400 Building.

e) Write-in candidates are not eligible to use campus and ASSC materials and services.

f) No new materials may be printed after the election polls open and for the duration of the election.

2. Posting and Distribution of Campaign Materials

a) No campaign materials may be posted on the outside of any building.

b) No campaign materials may be posted on any trees.

c) No more than three signs larger than legal sized paper may be posted in any building other than the Student Center, Building 1400.

d) No more than ten signs, legal sized or smaller, may be posted in any building other than the 1400 building.

e) All materials for distribution must be distributed by hand. No campaign literature may be left unattended.

f) No posters or signs currently on a wall may be moved or removed to make way for campaign material. If the material is from an organization or club, it may be removed only with written permission from the club or organization. The Election Committee does not have the authority to remove signs.

g) No campaign material will be allowed within 20 feet of the polls during elections.

h) The removal of all election signs and posters shall be the responsibility of the individual candidate and shall be done within one week of the announcement of the election results.

i) Only thumb tacks may be used on walls and bulletin boards and only tape on wood surfaces.

j) Staples may not be used in posting any campaign materials.

k) Campaign materials will not be allowed in nor will they be posted in the Student Development/Associated Students Offices, including the Rooms 1403-1409.

l) No campaign materials may be posted in any classroom.

m) No campaign materials may be posted in any bathroom.

n) No campaign materials may be posted in the Solano College cafeteria or the Solano College Bookstore.

3. Candidates may distribute or post campaign materials raised by their own finances. Such materials shall be subject to the regulations under Article XI, Section 1 and 2 of this Election Code.

4. Candidates may not campaign during any class. Campaigning in a classroom between classes is subject to the discretion of the instructor(s).

5. No campaigning will be permitted within 20 feet of the polls during the elections.

a) Candidates and those people campaigning for them may approach the polls only to vote.

b) The only people allowed to sit at the polls shall be those working or voting.

c) Candidates or individuals campaigning for candidates may not communicate with anyone (mainly voters) inside the 20 foot limit. Those candidates wishing to communicate with a poll worker may use the system designated by the Election Committee to gain their attention. Direct communication is not allowed.

6. No campaigning may occur inside the Solano Community College cafeteria.

7. Candidates must submit to the Election Committee a written list of individuals who will be working on their respective campaigns no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Friday immediately following the Mandatory Pre-Election Candidates’ Meeting. Any changes must be provided to the Committee prior to individual(s) officially campaigning on their behalf.

Article XII.
Penalties For Violations

1. Candidates shall receive written warning(s) with regards to any violation of the Election Code.

2. Candidates who intentionally and repetitively violate the campaigning rules shall be disqualified by the Election Committee.

3. The number of violations required to be disqualified shall be determined by the Election
Committee and shall be announced at the candidates meeting prior to campaigning.

4. Candidates who have been disqualified may appeal the decision according to Article I, Section 5 of the Election Code.

5. Complaints: Candidates must follow the following protocol when filing an election complaint. Candidates must file a formal complaint directly with the Election Committee Chair and/or the ASSC Advisor. The complaint must contain the names of any witnesses and may not be based on hearsay; include all relevant evidence; and be submitted within 24 hours of the incident. Any new evidence or information that arises and is submitted, after the complaint has been filed, will be accepted by the Committee at their discretion.

6. No complaints and/or appeals will be accepted after the polls have closed. Exception: Any complaints directly related to the ballot process itself must be filed within 24 hours after the polls have closed. The Election Committee shall respond to ballot-related complaints within 48 hours after the complaint is received.

7. Appeals to the decisions made by the Election Committee must be filed within 24 hours of the Committee’s action and addressed to the ASSC Advisor. A response will be provided within 48 hours. Notwithstanding Art. 1, Sec. 5 of the Code, all decisions of the Advisor shall be final.

Article XIII.
Tabulation

1. The ballots shall remain locked up for the duration of the election.

2. Each candidate may only have one representative present during the tabulation of the ballots.

3. The results of the election shall become effective upon approval of the Student Senate.

4. Voided ballots shall be those ballots that have votes for more than one candidate for a position, those write-in ballots for ineligible candidates, write-in ballots that are not filled out properly, and blank ballots.

5. Ballots that are void for the election for one position may be valid for other positions on the ballot.

6. Voided ballots shall not be used to compute the majority needed to win the election.

Article XIV.
Supremacy

1. This Election Code shall be inferior to the ASSC Constitution, the policies of the Solano Community College District, the laws of Solano County, the State of California, and the United States of America (including the U.S. Constitution). Notwithstanding language in ASSC governing documents, the Superintendent-President shall be the only person with the authority to declare the election null and void.

2. This Election code shall have supremacy over conflicting sections of the current ASSC Bylaws.

Article XV.
Ratification

This Election Code shall be ratified by a majority vote of the Associated Students of Solano College Student Senate.

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BP5505procedures

Executive Council Review: April 17, 2006
Shared Governance Review: October 11, 2006