running for student body president or executive vice president
On this page you’ll find nearly all the information you need to run for Student Body President or Executive Vice President. Information is pulled from the Election’s governing document, the Direct Elections Manual, and condensed it for your convenience.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Executive Director of Elections at sgaElections@northeastern.edu and they’ll be happy to set up a meeting to talk through the whole process with you.
Know Before running
Before deciding to run, please go through this information to ensure that you are eligible to run, understand what the election process entails, and what the expectations will be once you are elected. This information is pulled from SGA’s governing documents including the Constitution, Bylaws, and the Direct Elections Manual.
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According to Article IV, Executive Board Section 1.1.1 of the Association’s by-laws, a candidate for President must:
“Be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student and be in good academic standing, throughout the campaign period, as defined by the Undergraduate Student Handbook”
Because the Executive Vice President is the internal-facing position of the pair that is tasked with making the Association run smoothly, they must have experience within SGA. So, according to Article IV, Executive Board section, 1.2.1 of the by-Laws:
“Candidates for Executive Vice President must have been an active member of the association’s roster for twenty- five weeks prior to their nomination not including intersessions or time spent on the inactive roster. This includes time spent in standing executive divisions, the Senate, committees, and boards”
Additionally, Direct Elections Manual Section 5.2 and 5.3 dictate that the confirmed members of the Elections Board, the Parliamentarian, and the Operational Appeals Board Justices are not eligible to be on a Slate.
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To run in the Election, candidates run as a Slate meaning that candidates for President and Executive Vice President run as a pair.
Slate Declaration Forms will are available on the first day of Spring Semester alongside the Intent to Run Forms.
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The Election process takes most all of the Spring Semester. For a contested Election, it is a significant time commitment and should not be taken on without significant consideration.
There are multiple stages to the Election process which can be found in depth below. However, to summarize, these are the main periods:
Getting the Nomination
Filling out the Intent to Run Form and Slate Declaration Form
Collecting hundreds of signatures from the student body to indicate their support for your nomination
Nomination’s Meeting
Attending the Candidate’s Briefing
Campaign Period
With a bit of prep time since the Candidate’s Briefing, the Slates campaign within the student body to try and get their votes
Participate in the Board Education Event (for a contested Election, this is typically a debate)
Voting Period: the student body is able to vote for their choice of President and Executive Vice President
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As the role of President and Executive Vice President are extraordinarily important to the Association and the Student Body as a whole, we encourage anyone who is considering running to do extensive research on the expectations and requirements associated with the roles. Some of these are detailed in the Constitution and by-laws including estimated time commitment. Potential candidates can also reach out to the current President and Executive Vice President if they wish.
Timeline and Explanation
Coming Soon! This is an extended explanation of this year’s timeline. To view the specific dates associated with each of these steps, visit the Election Timeline page below. Campaign finance is conducted weekly during the campaign period and not listed on the timeline page.
slate resources
Below are the forms and documents that Slates will need throughout the Election process. Each links to a google drive file. To use them, please make a copy or download and print. If a different document is needed or you are unsure of how get them from this site, please refer to the Direct Elections Manual or email sgaElections@northeastern.edu with questions.
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To run for Student Body President or Executive Vice President, you must submit an Intent to Run Form. This is one of the first steps in the process, alongside the Slate Declaration Form.
There are two parts to the Intent to Run Form: the Candidate Information Sheet and the signature collection. Candidate information sheet must be completed separately by each member of a potential Slate. Signature Collection may be done on an individual basis or using the combined ones below. Both the Candidate Information Sheet and the Signature Collection Forms must be submitted (emailed or hand delivered) to the Executive Director of Elections (sgaElections@northeastern.edu) by the stated date on the timeline page.
Please make copies and/or download and print the materials below to use them. If you have any issues, please contact the Executive Director. Remember, you only need to complete either the Printable or Digital Signature Collection Sheet. In either case, you must collect 2% of the student body’s signatures. Student body total can be found at https://facts.northeastern.edu/.
Make a copy to fill it out. Either email or hand in a completed copy alongside the signatures.
Printable Signature Collection Sheet
If you are using this format, please clearly mark any pages that have invalid signatures so that we can count pages instead of individual signatures.
Digital Signature Collection Sheet
Use this form as a template to make your own. If you would like to make a direct copy, ask the Executive Director and they can give you edit access to duplicate it. To submit the signatures, share the finished form with the Executive Director (sgaElections@northeastern.edu) and send an email to them with the Candidate information Sheet.
More information can be found in the Direct Elections Manual or by emailing the Executive Director.
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The Slate Declaration Form, alongside the Intent to Run Form, are the first steps in the campaign process.
Please make a copy of and fill out the form below and return it to the Executive Director before the date stated on the timeline page.
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The Financial Disclosure Form will be added shortly. In the meantime, email sgaElections@northeastern.edu with any questions.
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The formal grievance form will be added here shortly. In the meantime, if you know of any slate or candidate breaking the rules of the Direct Election Manual, please email sgaElections@northeastern.edu.
Please feel free to email the Executive Director of Elections (sgaElections@northeastern.edu) if anything is unclear and…