Elections Rules & Policy

Campaigning Rules

  • A campaign is defined as any form of communication used to elicit the support for one's own or another's candidacy.
  • There is a spending limit of $40 for Senate, $30 for Class Council campaigns and $85 for Presidential and Vice Presidential tickets. The Elections Chair reserves the right to request an expense report and receipts at any time throughout the campaign. These budgets cannot be combined for every race a candidate runs in; rather, the candidate must not spend more than the highest budget allowance for any single race in which he/she runs. Any "in-kind" donations must also be attributed appropriate value and considered in budget allowance (e.g. donated t-shirts must be assessed a value).
  • It is important to note that anyone assisting a candidate with his or her campaign must also follow all campaign rules.
  • The campaign period shall begin Monday, April 1st at 12:01am. Candidates may not campaign before the campaign period begins. This includes the use of online media and social networking websites to elicit support. The campaign period ends Tuesday, April 9th at 10pm, the time at which voting closes. All campaign materials must be removed within 48 hours of voting closure.
  • Candidates may not harass others in any way to elicit support. This includes, but is not limited to, sliding items under residence hall doors, knocking on residence hall doors for campaign purposes, putting flyers on residence hall doors without permission, writing on residence hall whiteboards without permission, etc.
  • Candidates may not send mass emails for campaign purposes. Emailing campaign information to a student organization's mailing list may only be done with written permission from that organization's executive board. Email correspondence is an acceptable form of written permission. A candidate who is a member of a student organization's executive board must still receive approval from the entire executive board before sending campaign emails to the organization.
  • Regarding social media websites, candidates may not send any unsolicited messages at any time, which includes but is not limited to: writing on someone's profile, unsolicited tagging, etc. Candidates may campaign in any forum to which message recipients have voluntarily subscribed or from which recipients can unsubscribe.
  • Candidates cannot try to influence people while they are voting. This includes, but is not limited to, standing near the voting stations in Wilson Commons and candidates being in a room while individuals submit their vote via computer.
  • Candidates may only campaign in the following areas: residence halls, dining halls, Wilson Commons, athletic facilities, Todd Union, and the "Painted Tunnel." Candidates may not campaign in academic areas, including the following areas: libraries (including Gleason and the IT Center), building that are primarily used for classes, University administrative offices.
  • Proper posting guidelines must be followed, including all Residential Life policies, and all candidates must follow University policies that are pertinent to the election and campaigning.
  • No speeches may be made in Wilson Commons.
  • Any questions regarding the legality of campaigning should be directed to Elections Chair Harika Kunchaa at (hkunchal@u.rochester.edu). Questions regarding the legality of campaign initiatives should be addressed before those initiatives are carried through. For more information on campaigning in areas, refer to the "Can I Campaign Here" Guide.
  • Candidates may not remove or obstruct the view of other candidates' campaign materials. Candidates may not flyer over other candidates' campaign materials or over publicity for upcoming events.
  • Candidates may not include any profanity in their campaign materials. Furthermore, in accordance with Article V of the Students' Association Constitution, campaign materials may not discriminate against any person because of age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or political affiliation.
  • The Elections Committee shall investigate all potential violations of campaign policies. If a candidate is found in violation of campaign policies, the Elections Committee shall levy appropriate sanctions according to the Elections Penalty Point System (below). The Elections Chair will notify all candidates of the potential violation and the ruling of the Elections Committee.

Point Penalty System

All components of campaigning are subject to regulation by the Elections Committee.

  1. Campaigning in restricted areas (2 points per piece of literature)
  2. Obstructing another candidate's campaign literature (8 points per act of obstruction)
  3. Spending more than allotted limit on campaigning materials (5 points per dollar over limit)
  4. Submitting candidacy past deadline (2 points per hour)
  5. Campaigning before Monday, April 1st at 12:01 a.m. (25 points)
  6. Displaying online publicity or other campaign literature before the beginning of the campaigning period (25 points)
  7. Failing to comply with posting guidelines or pertinent University policies (25 points per building or policy)
  8. Failing to remove campaign literature determined in violation of enumerated campaign policies within 18 hours of the "send time" of the notification email (50 points)
  9. Failing to comply with sanctions enumerated below (50 points)
  10. Defacing or consenting to the defacement of another candidate's campaign materials (50 points)
  11. Deceiving the Elections Chair or members of the Elections Committee in any way about the facts pertaining to the election (50 points)

Sanctions:

  1. A candidate who accumulates 20-29 points shall not be allowed to campaign using online media or social networking websites
  2. A candidate who accumulates 30-49 points shall not be allowed to campaign using any printed or online media.
  3. A candidate who accumulates 50 or more points shall be disqualified from this election cycle.

Can I Campaign Here?

A campaign is defined as any form of communication used to elicit the support for one's own or another's candidacy.Campaigning is legal in the following areas in accordance with building posting policies.

  1. Athletic facilities
  2. Dining halls
  3. "Painted Tunnel"
  4. Residence Hals
  5. Todd Union
  6. Wilson Commons- rules can be found here: http://www.rochester.edu/college/wcsa/events/resources/posting.html

*If you are unfamiliar with building posting policies for residence halls, please contact the area coordinator before campaigning in the areas of question.


Campaigning is strictly prohibited in or on the following areas.

  1. Any doors that enter or exit buildings
  2. Any academic buildings (Hutchinson Hall, Hylan Hall, Morey Hall, etc.)
  3. Any libraries (including Gleason and the IT Center)
  4. Any administrative buildings (Wallis Hall, Lattimore Hall, etc.)
  5. Any tunnels (except the "Painted Tunnel")
  6. The clock tower in Dandelion Square

Chalking
Candidates often use sidewalk chalk as campaign strategy. Chalking is only legal outdoors.
Chalking is legal in the following areas:

  1. Sidewalks in and around Dandelion Square
  2. Sidewalks outside residence halls (except for areas that could potentially be covered from rain such as under the awning at the entrance of Sue B)
  3. Sidewalks in and around the Eastman Quad
  4. Sidewalks outside of Todd Union
  5. Sidewalks in and around the Science Quad
  6. The clock tower in Dandelion Square

Chalking is strictly prohibited in the following areas.

  1. Surfaces of any buildings (walls, pillars, etc.)
  2. Under any awning or other structure that could potentially obstruct rain from washing the chalk away (area under the awning at Sue B, under the balconies on the Res Quad, etc.)
  3. Any brick surface (any building including steps leading up to Wilson Commons)
  4. Any street (near the Science Quad, the cal-de-sac behind the Residence Quad, etc.)