Article VII – Elections

Section 1 - General

1. At the start of the Fall Term, the Executive Committee shall elect two SGA Officers from the senior class who will serve on the Election Commission for the remainder of the academic year along with the Chair of the Student Judiciary. These three individuals must remain impartial in all SGA elections and shall regulate and monitor SGA elections in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws.
2. The President of SGA shall collaborate with the Director of Campus Activities to set the election calendar before the academic year begins and advertise election dates and procedures.
3. For the purposes of SGA voting and representation, students will be assigned class membership based on their year of intended graduation according to College records.

Section 2 - Spring Term General Election

1. Every spring, a campus-wide election will be held to elect the President of SGA, the Speaker of the House, the President of the Senate, the Vice President of Programming, members of the Student Senate, and members of the Student Judiciary.
2. All students who are currently enrolled in Centre College, whether on campus or away, are eligible to vote in campus-wide elections.
3. Candidates must follow all policies and guidelines that are outlined in the Student Handbook and the Bylaws.
   1. Candidates who violate these policies may be deemed ineligible to run for office by a unanimous vote of the Election Commission.
4. Candidates for President of SGA, Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, and President of the Student Activities Council shall:
   1. Be nominated by no less than fifteen percent of the student body who affix their names to one or more petitions in approval of their candidacy;
   2. Submit a platform that will be shared with the campus community prior to the election;
   3. Have the opportunity to participate in a debate prior to the election;
   4. Be elected if they receive a majority of the votes cast for candidates for such office.
      1. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote for a particular position, a run-off will be held between the top two candidates for such position.
5. Candidates for Student Senate shall:
   1. Be nominated directly by members of their respective academic division.
      1. If a candidate is cross-registered in multiple academic divisions, s/he may only run for Student Senate in one academic division of the candidate’s choice.
      2. Only students who are registered with a declared major may nominate a candidate for Student Senate, but all students may vote for one junior and one senior for each academic division, regardless of the voter’s own academic standing.
   2. Have a minimum GPA of 3.0;
      1. Be listed on the ballot by year of intended graduation and academic division; the candidate who receives the greatest number of votes for a position will be declared the winner.
      2. If there is a tie, a run-off will be held between the tied candidates.
6. Elections for the Student Senate shall proceed in the following manner:
   1. Nominations from the respective academic divisions will be collected by the Director of Campus Activities, acting in coordination with the serving SGA President and President of the Senate.
      1. The five junior and senior candidates with the most nominations will be placed on the ballot for election to be conducted in accordance with the process outlined in Article VIII of this Constitution.
7. If any open positions remain after the Spring Term General Election, those positions shall be filled in accordance with the procedures outlined in Article VIII of this constitution.
8. Candidates for the Student Judiciary shall be nominated and elected in accordance with the procedures set forth in Article IX of this Constitution and in the Bylaws.

Section 3 – Electing SGA Officers

1. After the Spring Term General Election, the President-Elect of SGA shall nominate a slate of candidates for Communications Director, Chair of the Student Affairs Committee, Chair of the Campus Improvements Committee, and Chair of the Dining Services Committee.
   1. The President-Elect will present these candidates to SGA at a general session before the end of the academic year.
   2. If the President-Elect wishes to nominate a candidate who will be permanently off campus for the upcoming Fall or Spring Term, s/he must also nominate both a Fall and Spring Term candidate for the respective position.
      1. At least two of these four positions must be filled by officers who intend to stay on campus for both the Fall and Spring Terms.
   3. The Student Government Association will vote to approve or reject the entire slate of candidates by a majority vote of those SGA members present at a general session at which a quorum is present.
      1. If the slate is approved, the candidates will be sworn in as SGA officers before the end of the academic year.
      2. If the slate is rejected, each candidate must be presented to SGA one-by-one for a majority vote of approval of those SGA members present at a general session at which a quorum is present.
         1. If a candidate fails to be individually approved by such a majority vote, the President-Elect may appoint another nominee. If that nominee also fails to be approved by such a majority vote, SGA may nominate and elect a replacement candidate.
2. Before the end of the academic year, SGA shall nominate and elect candidates for Secretary of Finance and Secretary of Administration, separately and sequentially.
   1. Any member of SGA may nominate a candidate who meets the requirements for a particular position. A nomination requires a second and must be accepted by the candidate.
      1. If a candidate is not present to accept a nomination, s/he must give written or electronic notice of her/his acceptance before the nomination is presented.
   2. Candidates for each position shall be given the opportunity to present a platform before SGA.
      1. If any candidate for Secretary of Administration will be permanently off campus during the upcoming Fall or Spring Term, SGA will elect both a Fall and Spring Term candidate for the respective position.
      2. In such case, a candidate who will be on campus for the entire year may win for both terms, but s/he must receive a majority of the vote in each separate Term election.
   3. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote for a particular position, a run-off will be held between the top two candidates for such positions.
3. The term of office of each newly elected officer shall begin before the end of the academic year and shall end upon commencement of the term of office of her/his successor.
   1. The members of the Executive Committee shall take the following oath of office: “I do hereby solemnly swear (or affirm) upon my honor that I will, to the best of my ability, faithfully execute and discharge the duties of the office into which I am about to enter.”

Section 4 – Fall Term Representative Elections

1. Within the first four weeks of the fall semester, a campus-wide election will be held to elect members of the House of Representatives.
   1. Students who are currently enrolled in the College but permanently off campus for the Fall Term are eligible to vote but not to run for office.
2. Five seniors, five juniors, eight sophomores, and eight first-years shall be elected by and from their respective classes as class representative members.
   1. Class representative candidates for the House of Representatives shall:
      1. Be nominated by no fewer than 100 members of their graduating class who affix their names to one or more petitions in approval of their candidacy;
      2. Comply with any other policies outlined in the Constitution and Bylaws.
   2. The five seniors, five juniors, eight sophomores, and eight first-years who receive the most votes will be elected as class representatives. In the event of a tie, a run-off may be held to determine the winners.
3. Unless and until changed in accordance with the procedures outlined in Section 5B. 5 of Article VII and Section 1A. of Article X of this Constitution, one correspondent member shall be elected from each of the following campus organizations:

   1) Centre Pride Alliance
   2) Diversity Student Union
   3) Grissom Scholars
   4) International Students Association
   5) New Horizon Scholars
   6) Posse Scholars

   1. Any correspondent member candidate for the House of Representatives may initially be self-nominated to be the correspondent member for any of the above organizations of which s/he is a member. Should there be more than three self-nominations for correspondent member of any organization or organizations, each such organization shall decide which three such candidates shall be on the ballot as the correspondent member candidates for that organization.
   2. Each student may vote for one correspondent member candidate for each of the above organizations. A correspondent member candidate from an organization shall be elected if s/he receives a majority (or plurality) of the votes cast for that position.
      1. In the event of a tie, the relevant organization(s) shall decide which of the tied individuals shall serve as the correspondent member of that organization.
   3. For only the first year after the ratification of this Constitution, the 6 Correspondent positions will be elected during the spring term elections.
4. If any open positions remain after the Fall Term Representative Elections, those positions shall be filled in accordance with the procedures outlined in Article VIII of this Constitution.