Jackson Community College

Jackson Community College Student Parliament

Elections Code

Article I. Definitions

Student Parliament is the student governing body that represents the Jackson Community College Student Association.

The Student Parliament Elections Committee is established and sanctioned by Student Parliament to facilitate and monitor all general and special elections. This committee interprets and enforces election codes. This commission is appointed by the Director of Student Life in collaboration with Student Parliament. The committee is comprised of four members including the Elections Commissioner who is responsible for leading all activities of the Elections Committee. Each committee member must be at least a part-time student and have completed 12 undergraduate credit hours while maintaining maintains a 2.5 GPA.

An official candidate is a JCC student who has acquired the 50 necessary student signatures on the designated elections petition and who has met the grade requirements set forth by Student Parliament.

An official nomination petition is certified by the Elections Committee and provided to students interested in having their name listed on the election ballot. Interested students can pick up their petition in the Office of Student Life in 210 Potter Center. Each petition provides 50 spaces for names and phone numbers of current JCC students who support the student's interest in running for one of four Student Parliament executive positions. Students can file petitions for the positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary.

A petitioner is a current JCC student who acquires a petition from the Office of Student Life and who seeks current JCC student signatures to have his/her name added to the election ballot.

A campaign manager is a currently enrolled JCC student who assists a potential candidate to attain a majority of votes to be cast in a general or special election. This person is officially recognized as a representative of the candidate in his/her campaign.

Campaigning is any action including but not limited to buttons, posters, speaking engagements, debates, radio, newspaper, or television advertising or any item or service used to campaign.

Campaign contributions shall include any professional services, material or monetary contributions given to a candidate for the purpose of obtaining a simple majority of the votes cast, regardless of when given.

JCC's General Election occurs in the fall of each academic year. This election is held to select the four executive council officers of Student Parliament; president, vice president, Treasurer and Secretary.

In the event that one of the four Executive Council positions is vacated before the end of the year-long term, special elections are held to fill the vacancy.

An official complaint is the report of alleged violations of JCC elections code, constitution and by-laws or the Student Rights and Responsibility Handbook by candidates or their campaign managers.

A plaintiff is one who files a written complaint with the Elections Committee against a candidate or his/her campaign manager.

A defendant is one against whom a complaint is filed.

Any action or absence thereof that violates elections code, college policy or Student Parliament constitution or by-laws.

The official voting location as designated by the Elections Committee and the Director of Student Life where ballots are issued to voters and collected for tabulation.

Any student who has collected the signatures of 50 currently enrolled JCC students who endorse his/her candidacy for one of four Executive Council posts will be added to the official elections ballot that is monitored and updated by the Elections Committee. Each Petitioner is responsible for ensuring that the signatures and phone numbers provided by student endorsees are accurate and that all students listed on the petition are currently enrolled JCC students. Each petition will be spot-checked by the Elections Committee to insure the validity of the petition. Petitioners found responsible for providing false information on their petition will be immediately removed from the elections process. The Director of Student Life will monitor the petitions collection process and will oversee the petitions verification process.

Students who sign a petition endorsing a particular candidate may do so only one time for that particular candidate. They can however sign more than one petition for that particular executive position.

Petitioners must go to the Office of Student Life in room 210 Potter Center to pick up and official Petition. Only a petition stamped as official by the elections committee can be used to collect/turn in signatures. Each petition is numbered and is issued to a particular candidate for record-keeping purposes. In order for a petition to be accepted by the Elections Committee, all information requested on the petition must be filled in neatly. Evidence of extensive erasure marks or any other alterations to the petition may void that particular petition.

A petitioner may not run for more than one office in a general election. If a petitioner begins collecting signatures for a particular office and decides to run for a different office, the petitioner must turn in the first petitions that were issued to him/her before new petitions for the new position can be issued.

Each petitioner must complete a candidate eligibility form and sign a release of information form in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to enable the Director of Student Life and the Elections Committee to certify that eligibility requirements are met. The candidate eligibility form must be turned into the Office of Student Life along with the official petition.

Petitioners must maintain a 2.25 Grade Point Average in order to be added on to the official elections ballot.

Students who have yet to complete their first semester at JCC and who do not have college transfer credits from another undergraduate college or university must complete a faculty grade form. In order for a candidate with no established college Grade Point Average to meet candidate GPA requirements, the Elections Committee must gain insight on the progress of a petitioner's first semester of classes. The faculty grade form is a release the petitioner signs that provides the Elections Committee with a mid-term progress report on what grade the petitioner would earn in a particular class if a grade was issued at the time the faculty grade form was completed. The faculty grade form must be turned in with the candidate eligibility form and the official petition.

All petitions must be turned in at least two weeks prior to the general election but in accordance with official deadline dates established by the Elections Committee and the Director of Student Life.

Each candidate can budget up to $150.00 for his/her campaign. Campaign materials, professional services, advertisements purchased or donated to a candidate shall be considered a campaign contribution and shall be accounted for by said candidate.

Any and all campaign materials as well as campaign contributions must be recorded and a copy of the expense account must be turned into the Elections Committee at a specified date set by the committee prior to the election. This record is public and shall consist of legible copies of all receipts and invoices. All purchases must be accounted for in this record. Detailed information on campaign donations must include who offered the donation and accurate information on where to contact the donor. Donor information should also include what was donated and the cost or monetary total of that donation.

A candidate may be disqualified if the complete financial campaign record is not turned in before or on the date mandated by the Elections Committee.

Candidates who incurred no expenses during their campaign must still turn in written notice to this effect on the due date established for the candidates' complete financial records.

Any candidate who exceeds the $150.00 campaign expense total may be removed from the elections process. The Elections Committee and the Director of Student Life shall monitor the expense report process and will address all possible violations of the campaign expense policy.

Campaign material may be placed anywhere that is designated as acceptable by the Elections Committee, the Director of Student Life or the President's office.

Campaigning inside the classroom in any form either through written advertising pieces or verbally is prohibited.

Campaigning cannot take place within 100 feet of an official polling center on Election Days.

Students must complete all campaigning one week prior to the official first day of elections.

All candidates must remove all campaign material by 5:00pm the day after the election is over.

Candidates and their campaign managers must attend all designated candidate meetings called by the Elections Committee or the Director of Student Life.

Candidates or campaign managers who deface, destroy or place their advertisements over another candidates advertisements will be in violation of Student Parliament's Elections Code and will be held accountable through the judicial process governing student elections.

All candidates and their campaign managers are accountable for knowing the Student Parliament Election Code, Student Parliament Constitution and By-Laws and the Students Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.

Any candidate who does not understand a policy outlined in any of the official governance documents may appeal to the Elections Committee and the Director of Student Life for counsel.

Any candidate who wishes to file a complaint against another candidate must do so in writing within two working days of the alleged incident. All complaints should be filed with the Director of Student Life within the Office of Student Life. Upon receipt of an official complaint, the Elections Committee will review the case and answer the complaint within two working days of the receipt of complaint.

When an official complaint is filed and the Elections Committee and the Director of Student Life will meet to discuss the complaint and to designate an appropriate response. The Elections Committee and the Director of Student Life will investigate the alleged violation and determine if an official hearing is necessary.

When a hearing is warranted, the plaintiff and the defendant will present their cases. The Elections Committee will hear both sides and may ask questions to clarify points. After both sides have been heard, the Elections Committee will convene to consider the facts of the case and to determine an appropriate outcome including sanctions. The decision of the Elections Committee will be issued in writing and will be made available to both parties within two working days of the hearing.

The Elections committee has authority to issue sanctions against candidates found responsible for violating Elections Code, Student Parliament By-Laws and/or College policy, only after an official hearing has been conducted.

The complete lists of possible sanctions to be implemented by the Elections Committee for violations that occur during an elections process include:

The general election shall be held in accordance with the Student Parliament Elections Code.

All Special Elections shall be held in accordance with the Student Parliament Elections Code.

The Elections Committee is responsible for advertising upcoming elections and for developing, issuing and monitoring all necessary applications, petitions, and elections forms.

Candidate votes must be tabulated by the Elections Committee and verified by the Director of Student Life. The votes for each candidate must be counted and verified at least two times. The Elections Committee may at its discretion call for additional recalculation of votes.

No votes will be tabulated until the polling center is closed.

The final tabulation will occur on the last night of the general or special election and all candidates will be informed of the election results on that evening.

The Elections Committee will post all voting tallies and percentages involving all races regardless of any sanctioning or disqualification that may have been invoked during the elections process.

The candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall be called the winner of an election.

Should two candidates receive the same number of votes; a recount will be instituted by the Elections Committee and verified by the Director of Student Life. If a tie is determined after the recount, a special run-off election will be instituted.

The Run-Off election occurs when two candidates receive the same number of votes in an election and a recount confirms the tie. The Run-off election must occur within 10 days of the general election. A three-day period of campaigning will be offered to the candidates and they can spend an additional $50.00 in campaign monies to forward their campaign. The Run-Off Election runs under the exact guidelines of a general election and a simple majority of the vote determine the winner.

The Elections Committee is responsible for publicizing all voting numbers and percentages for the Run-Off Election.

In the case where an executive position is vacated before the end of a year-long term, a special election may be instituted. If selected as the method of filling a vacated position by the Executive Council of Student Parliament and the Director of Student life, this election process must be initiated within seven days after the announcement of the position vacancy. Petitioners will have one week to collect the 50 signatures of current JCC students to participate in the election. The campaigning process shall run for one week and a one-day campus election process will be instituted to determine a winner. Like a general election, a simple majority of votes will determine a winner. In case of a tie, please refer to Article VI. Section 3 for details regarding a Run-Off election.

The Executive Council and the Director of Student Life will determine the merit of a Special Election depending on the circumstances surrounding the vacated position and the time of the year that the position is vacated.

Enforcement of the Elections Code shall be the responsibility of the Elections Committee. The committee shall have the duty to initiate and proceed with any measures or procedures required for the enforcement of the Elections Code.

Current Executive Council members of Student Parliament shall not endorse candidates for elections nor shall they in any way participate in a candidate's campaign efforts during the elections process.

This election year marks the return of an official student government at JCC. In this first election year, it is possible that not all executive positions will be filled by the election process. In the case where no student comes forward to run for a particular executive position, the Director of Student Life may move to appoint a willing student to fill the vacancy.

Please contact the Director of Student Life at 517-796-8628 should you have questions or concerns regarding the Elections Code.

June 11, 2008