Article V: Elections

Section 1–Eligibility for Student Office

1. Only persons who are currently students in good standing at the College are eligible to hold office within the Student Government. Candidates for office must also meet the specific qualifications for the offices they seek as stipulated in Article III, Section 2, Paragraph C of this Charter.
2. Any student wishing to become a candidate for freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior, or graduate class representative on the Student Council must submit a nominating petition to the Office of Student Life signed by at least 25 members of the student body. The petition must be submitted no later than six weeks prior to the election period.
3. Any student wishing to become a delegate of the University Student Senate must submit a nominating petition to the Office of Student Life signed by twenty-five members of the student body. The petition must be submitted no later than six weeks prior to the election period.

Section 2–Procedure for Electing Class Representatives

1. General elections shall be under the direct supervision and control of the Judicial Board and the Office of Student Life, and shall be conducted in conformance to the provisions of this Charter, in a fair, open and honest manner. The Student Election Review Committee will assume all the responsibilities of Judicial Board for regular elections in the event Judicial Board is inactive or positions are vacant. No election guidelines or procedures drawn up by the Judicial Board shall go into operation until the Student Election Review Committee or the Dean of Students has approved them.
2. The period of holding elections for all class representatives shall be during the two or three weeks prior to the spring recess. The exact date and times of the spring elections shall be determined and announced by the Judicial Board or the Dean of Students no later than the end of November.
3. A newly-elected member of the Student Council shall begin his or her term at midnight on June 1 and complete it, if not removed, at midnight on May 31 of the following year.
4. All nominating petitions shall be turned into the Office of Student Life for entry, and then reviewed and verified by the Judicial Board in consultation with the Dean of Students. All currently-enrolled students who qualify as candidates shall be so informed by the Judicial Board no later than four weeks prior to the beginning of the election period.
5. The guidelines and procedures governing regular Student Government elections shall be established and announced by the Judicial Board or the Student Election Review Committee in the absence of Judicial Board approximately six weeks before the date of elections. The Judicial Board shall secure the cooperation of the Dean of Students and any other staff in the carrying out of elections. It may also employ an independent ballot association to supervise the counting of the ballots.
6. The Judicial Board shall be responsible for informing the student body of the identities of candidates for positions within the Student Government. Student Government funds shall not be utilized to finance campaigns. Such use of funds shall disqualify such candidates.
7. The Judicial Board and the Office of Student Life shall determine the design of the ballot and the nature of the information that candidates may chocose to have placed on the ballot.
8. Special elections for the Student Council, as well as any referenda that the Student Council may authorize, will be under the direct supervision of the Office of Student Life, or the advisor(s) of the Student Council, or a member of the Judicial Board, and/or a member of the Student Election Review Committee. All vacant and unfilled positions can be filled by a majority vote of Student Council.

Section 3–The Election of Student Council Executive Officers

1. Students in good standing at the College shall be eligible to be elected executive officers of the Student Council if they have the requisite qualifications for the offices they seek as stipulated in Article III, Section 2, Paragraph C of this Charter. These include a grade-point average of at least 2.5 for undergraduate students and at least 3.0 for graduate students, at the time of election.
2. The executive officers of the Student Council shall be elected at the same time and in the same manner as class representatives and the University Student Senate delegates. Every student registered in John Jay College of Criminal Justice shall be eligible to vote in the election to fill each of the executive offices. The candidates for these positions receiving a plurality of the total vote shall be elected.
3. A newly-elected executive officer shall begin his or her term at midnight on June 1, and complete it, if not removed, at midnight on May 31, of the following year.
4. Eligible students may become candidates for executive office in the following manner:

• Students wishing to become candidates for executive office must present a statement of support signed by at least seven members of the Student Council, or a nominating petition signed by at least one hundred and fifty registered students.
• No student may sign a nominating petition or a statement of support for more than one candidate running for a single executive position.

Section 4–Decisions on Ties and Election Results

1. In the case of a tie between two or more candidates for a position that is only available to one candidate, a run-off election will be conducted for the candidates that tied.
2. The Judicial Board, Student Election Review Committee, and the Dean of Students will confirm all general election voting results prior to public announcement.