The Office of Elections

University of North Florida

Spring 2019 Campaign Packet

Table of Contents

SPRING 2019 ELECTIONS TIMELINE 2

TIT L E V I : T H E E L E C TI O N C OD E 4

ELECTION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES 7

UNF POLICIES & REGULATIONS: SIGNAGE 14

THE OFFICE OF ELECTIONS 16

CANDIDATE FINANCIAL STATEMENT 18

* Please note that the full versions of the Election Policies and Procedures, and Title VI can be

found on the Student Government website.

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Spring 2019 Elections Timeline

January 8: Spring 2018 classes begin

January 23: Party declaration of intent forms due

January 30: Party fair

February 12: Candidate declaration of intent forms due

February 15: Last day to finalize disqualifications

February 20: Candidate forum

February 26: Presidential debate

February 27: Candidate forum

March 5-6: Spring 2018 elections

March 7: Financial statements due

March 8: Last day to file judicial complaints

*** Mandatory Candidate meetings will be announced after declarations of intent are due

on February 12th ***

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TITLE VI: THE ELECTION CODE

Chapter 603: Enforcement

603.1Disqualification

A. On the third (3) business day following the candidate submission deadline the Elections Commissioner shall issue all notifications of disqualification to candidates that have failed to meet the constitutional requirements for candidacy.

B. The Elections Commissioner shall contact all candidates who are disqualified and make known all candidates who do qualify.

C. Candidates will be disqualified and no longer eligible to run in the election cycle if they do not participate in a Mandatory Candidacy Meeting.

603.2Violations of the Elections Code

A. All complaints alleging violation of the Election Code and or the Election Policies and Procedures shall be handled as Judicial Complaints.

B. Violations of this Statute shall be designated as either a Major or Minor Offense.

C. Major Offenses are any offense that aim to cause a major effect on the outcome of an election such as, but not limited to:

1. Tampering with election machinery;

2. Casting multiple ballots;

3. Falsification of facts or information;

4. Intentionally causing another candidate to incur violations;

5. Involvement with an effort to falsify the election in any way;

6. Material violation of the Code of Ethics agreement; and

7. Accruing five minor violations and,

8. Any other offense deemed inappropriate by the Supreme Court to the level that said individual acts in a way unbecoming of his/her desired office (i.e. conviction of a felony, discrimination etc.)

D. Minor offenses shall include but not be limited to:

1. Any violation of the campaign guidelines document;

2. Failure to submit a Candidate Expense Statement by the deadline. Each day late shall be considered a single offense; and

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3. Spending an excess of the campaign finance limit. Each percentage over the limit shall be considered a single offense.

603.3 Penalties

A. Refer to Judicial Hearing Guidelines

B. The confirmation by the Judicial Branch of one major violation against a candidate and/or PPO shall constitute immediate disqualification of a candidate and/or PPO.

C. Accumulating five minor violations equates to one major violation, and subsequent immediate disqualification.

603.4 Invalidation

A. Any Activity and Service Fee paying student may file a special Judicial Complaint with the intent to invalidate an election within two (2) business days of the conclusion of said election.

B. The Elections Commissioner and the Attorney General shall have a reasonable amount of time following the conclusion of each election to forward and file, respectively, elections-related Judicial Complaints, not to exceed five (5) business days.

C. A special Judicial Complaint is subject to special provisions outlined in the Judicial Policies and Procedures.

603.5 Special Election

A. In the event of the invalidation of an election, the Elections Commissioner must call a special election within three weeks or before the end of the semester, whichever comes first.

B. If invalidation occurs more than three weeks before the Tuesday of regularly scheduled elections, the special election may adopt the schedule of the general election.

C. A special election shall adhere to all guidelines set forth by Title VI and the Elections Policies and Procedures, excluding only scheduling guidelines that would become irrelevant in the event of a special election.

D. The same ballot must be used for this election; exceptions are limited to candidates who wish to or are required to be removed from the ballot and any plebiscite the Senate chooses to add to the ballot.

1. These plebiscites are still subject to the Election Policies and Procedures.

603.6 Statute of Limitations

A. No election may be invalidated once it has been validated.

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603.7 Assumption of Office

A. Election Results

1. Election results shall be released by the Office of Elections in accordance with the Election Policies and Procedures.

2. The Elections Commissioner shall prepare elections results in accordance with the Election Policies and Procedures and present them in the form of a Senate Bill to the Senate on second (2nd) read with the sponsorship of the Government Oversight Committee Chairperson.

3. In the event that the election goes uncontested, a Bill of Acclamation shall be created thus confirming the candidates for acclamation into the Senate.

4. All elections results bills must be forwarded to the Senate no later than ten (10) business days following the close of the election if all pending elections related Judicial Complaints have been resolved.

5. The Senate must vote to validate the election by majority approval of the bill.

6. If the Senate validates the election, all newly elected candidates shall be installed.

B. Installation

1. All Senatorial candidates shall be installed at the first Senate meeting following the validation of the election or confirmation of acclamation of candidates into the Senate.

2. Presidents and Vice Presidents-elect shall be sworn in as dictated by Article V.

*PLEASE NOTE THAT CAMPAIGNING IS PERMITTED TO START ON

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30th, THE SAME DAY AS THE PARTY FAIR*

NOTE: This is only a portion of the Elections Code as found in our Student Government Constitution and Statutes. I included a smaller portion of information to try to be more concise (and a little nicer to trees). The entirety of the Elections Code can be found on our Student Government homepage. You can feel free to download and familiarize yourself with the entire code at your own leisure. Elections is under Article V and Title VI.

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Election Policies and Procedures

Enacted November 30, 2018

IX. Candidate GuidelinesB. Candidacy

1. Requirements

a. The requirements for candidacy shall in no way exceed those placed by the Constitution and every effort shall be made to ensure that no excessive barriers exist to candidacy.

b. The constitutional requirements for candidacy may be seen under Article V § 2 of the Student Government Constitution.

c. To become a candidate in any Student Government election, a student must only meet the constitutional requirements and complete a Candidate Declaration of Intent.

d. Presidential candidates are required to run on a two-person (2) ticket with a Vice-Presidential candidate. Presidential tickets shall file a joint Candidate Declaration of Intent.

e. All candidates must attend one of two Mandatory Candidacy Meetings or will be immediately disqualified.

2. Candidate Declaration of Intent Form

a. The format for the Candidate Declaration of Intent form is at the discretion of the Commissioner but shall consist of, at a minimum, a single page for a prospective candidate to indicate acknowledgement and compliance with all required subsections.

b. Required information that must be provided on the Candidate Declaration of Intent form shall include the candidate’s:

i. Full name, as it appears on their Osprey-1 Card.

ii. N-number, as it appears on their Osprey-1 Card.

iii. Contactable e-mail address.

iv. Contactable phone number.

v. Year in college and Major.

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vi. Indication of Party Affiliation. If affiliated, the Political Party Organization (PPO) chair must undersign. If not, the candidate is automatically recognized as an Independent.

vii. Indication of Financial Statement option selection.

c. The following agreements must be provided with the Candidate Declaration of Intent form and each candidate must sign that they have read, understood, and agreed to all of them:

i. FERPA release and acknowledgment forms.

ii. Agreement to uphold the Code of Ethics and the Elections timeline

iii. Agreement to abide by all University and Student Government laws, policies and procedures.

iv. Student Conduct Form

C. Political Party Organizations

3. Creation and Registration

a. Requirements

i. Any two (2) or more currently enrolled students may form a PPO and register with the Office of Elections through the completion of a Party Declaration of Intent.

ii. Registered PPO’s are guaranteed the rights afforded them under Title VI.

iii. PPO’s must select a chair person from amongst themselves and indicate their selection on their Party Declaration of Intent.

b. Party Declaration of Intent Form

i. The format for the Party Declaration of Intent form is at the discretion of the Commissioner.

ii. The form shall contain the following required information to be completed by the founding members:

1) Names and N-numbers of founding members, as they appear on their Osprey-1 cards.

2) Designation of Party Chair

3) Designation of PPO name and abbreviation.

4) Designation of Financial Statement option selection.

iii. The following agreements must be provided with the Party Declaration of Intent form and the founding members must sign on behalf of the party that they have read, understand, and agree to all of them:

1) Agreement to uphold the Code of Ethics.2) Agreement to uphold all University Policies and Regulations.

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3) Agreement to abide by all Student Government laws, policies, and procedures.

iv. All Political Party Organizations’ registrations shall expire annually. At the time of expiration, the expired PPO’s name will be reserved until the Party Declaration of Intent deadline of the nearest upcoming election.

1) The name of the PPO shall have a maximum term of four (4) years. After the PPO has operated for a maximum of four (4) years, then the two (2) year retirement period shall begin immediately.

2) The PPO’s name will be reserved until the deadline for the previous party chair, or someone possessing written consent of said party chair, to re-register. The final result of this process may be appealed to the Judicial Branch.

3) If the previous party chair does not return and no written consent is given, the party will be retired.

4) Retired PPO names shall be kept on record by the Office of Elections for a period of two (2) years, at which point they will be eligible to be reinstated.

v. The Elections Commissioner reserves the right to retire a PPO’s name should the party’s registration term lapse.

vi. PPO’s that were previously registered with the Office of Elections need only complete a party re-registration form annually to remain registered. Party re-registration forms shall contain the following information completed by at least two (2) renewing members:

1) Names and N-numbers of renewing members, as they appear on their Osprey-1 cards.

2) Designation of Party Chair.

3) Designation of PPO name and abbreviation.

4) Designation of Financial Statement option selection.

5) PPO’s must reaffirm their agreements as listed under Chapter V § C.i.2.c of this document as well.

4. Naming

a) The following restrictions shall exist on the naming of PPO’s:

I. No PPO may register under a name that gives the impression of University endorsement or that uses official University language. Examples include but are not limited to: “The University of North Florida Party,” “The Blue and Grey Party,” “The No One Like You, No Place Like This Party,” “The Ozzie Party,” or “The Osprey Party”.

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II. No party may have the same name or give the impression of having the same name as another registered party. Examples include, but are not limited to, “The Kool Party” and “The Cool Party,” or “The Rock Party” and “The Rockk Party”.

III. No party may register a party name as “No Party Affiliation” or any name with the word “Independent”.

b) All decisions based on naming are subject to the direct approval of the Elections Commissioner. The Commissioner’s final decision may be appealed to the Judicial Branch.

5. Membership

a. Membership in PPO’s may be determined internally.

b. PPO’s that wish to register with Student Government must agree to an anti-discrimination and anti-hazing policy provided with the Party Declaration of Intent.

c. No student has an inherent right to be a member of any PPO as PPO’s are private entities and strictly not Registered Student Organizations (RSO).

D. Campaigning

6. Restrictions

a. Signage

I. All campaign-related signage is only permitted on university grounds starting the day the Party Fair is held or within five (5) weeks of the nearest upcoming election.

II. Physical Facilities and other University officials reserve the right to remove intrusive or obstructive signage.

III. The Office of Elections shall make available the most up to date university regulations in the form of an election signage map.

IV. Placement of signs shall adhere to current university policy as directed by Physical Facilities, including but not limited to:

i. Yard Signs, which may be placed near walking paths within the interior of campus.

ii. Banners, which may be hung from buildings with permission from the proper authorities. In the case of the Student Union (Bld. 58), the Student Union Administration must be contacted.

V. Campaigns are responsible for removing all campaign-related materials within one (1) business day following the close of an election.

b. Active/Passive Campaigning

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I. Active Campaigning shall be defined as the direct promotion of one’s campaign or political party organization through the use of verbal or electronic communications that solicits or calls for support of that candidate or political party organization for an elected office of Student Government. This includes, but is not limited to, the direct request for a student or organization to endorse or advocate for the candidate.

II. Passive Campaigning shall be defined as the indirect promotion done in a way that does not solicit direct communication and is done in a non-intrusive manner. This may include, but is not limited to, signs, posters, websites, t-shirts, or other paraphernalia.

III. Active Campaigning shall be prohibited in all University buildings, with the exception of dining halls, the Osprey Clubhouse, Arena, and Wellness Complex.

IV. A second exception shall be made to permit Active Campaigning in University Buildings, limited to meetings of Student Organizations, Registered or Unregistered, scheduled to meet in these buildings with the consent of the organization.

V. Active Campaigning is allowed in the entirety of the Student Union, with the exception of the third floor of the East Building, in which all forms of campaigning are prohibited.

c. Campaigning is permitted to begin the day of the Party Fair.

d. No campaigning is permitted in Residence Halls including, but not limited to, distribution of fliers and door to door campaigning.

i. The only exception is in the event of invited and casual conversation between residents of the Residence Hall in question.

e. Campaign materials may not be distributed in such a way as to create excessive litter or to willfully deface any property, public or private.

f. Each candidate is liable for all campaign materials relating to his/her campaign, and shall see to their proper disposal, except materials discarded by voters in the polling region while the polls are open.

g. No candidate shall operate under an implied Student Government endorsement. This includes, but is not limited to, any logos present in campaign materials or use of Student Government sponsored items in their campaign.

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h. Candidates or political party organizations (PPO) may not accept or solicit financial donations or endorsements from any organization or individual acting on behalf of an organization outside of the University of North Florida campus.

i. No candidate or organization shall promise or guarantee a future position to a student or student organization in order to obtain votes

j. Candidates or political party organizations (PPO) may not accept or solicit financial donations or endorsements from university administrators or non-student university employees.

k. The campaign materials form must be filled out and approved by the Elections Commissioner or designee prior to posting/placement.

X. Financial Guidelinesa. Format

i. Financial Statements are to be completed within a provided packet given to all candidates.

ii. Financial Statement packets shall contain:

a. A cover page listing the contents of a final and completed statement and the undersigned agreement to the accuracy of the statement.

b. A blank itemized page(s) for the listing of all campaign expenses.

c. A totaling line at the conclusion of the list.

d. A guide for PPO financial statements that allows a party to calculate their combined expense limit.

iii. Parties may choose to complete a PPO Financial Statement and forego individual statements if they wish to share resources.

iv. All elections contested or not contested shall require parties as well as candidates to file financial statements.

b. Regulations

i. Expense Limits

1. Senate Candidates: $500.00.

2. Presidential Tickets: $3,500.00.

3. Political Party Organization option: Not to exceed the sum of the individual candidate’s expense limits combined.

c. Contents

i. A completed Financial Statement must contain:

a. An itemized list of all expenses incurred throughout the campaign. The Financial Statement must include items purchased in a previous campaign if they are re-used for the upcoming election.

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I. Each calendar year, any re-used item will depreciate by half. After four (4) years of reuse, an item may be claimed at zero (0) percent of the current market value.

b. Copies of all receipts supporting the itemized list of expenditures. In the case of items purchased previously and re-used for a campaign, a receipt is not necessary. Instead, a fair market value must be provided.

c. Sworn agreement on behalf of the candidate or, in the case of PPO Financial Statement, the chair, to the accuracy of the full and complete statement.

d. All contributions and donations, monetary or otherwise must be accurately reported and must include the name of the donor, contribution type, and market value of the donation.

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UNF Policies & Regulations: Signage

(only including Section II parts A and C)

A. Requirements for Posting Temporary Signage on CampusOnly University colleges, units, departments, registered student organizations, and approved vendors may post signs on the exterior portions of campus, including exterior of buildings or other structures, after the approval process described in this regulation. Any person or group organizer desiring to post a temporary sign on campus must complete an application for a Temporary Signage Permit and provide it to the Office of the Director of the Student Union a minimum of ten (10) days prior to the desired date of posting temporary signage on campus. A Temporary Signage Permit may be located online at http://www.unf.edu/studentunion/Temporary_Signage.aspx. Only fully completed Temporary Signage Permit will be considered for posting of signage. Any signage posted on campus without completion of a Temporary Signage Permit and without receiving permission to post the sign, will result in the signage being removed.

Events which utilize approved signage must be posted to the UNF online calendar (www.unf.edu/calendar). Postings for any planned event not listed on the calendar may be subject to removal.

Contractual agreements held by the University may affect advertisement of certain services.

C. Time, Place and Manner Requirements. 1. Duration of PostingEvent signage must be removed within one business day of the conclusion of the planned event or time period specified in the Temporary Signage Permit. 2. SafetySignage may not block walkways and must conform to fire code. Signs must be securely affixed in order to withstand wind and rain without causing harm to passersby. If damage to buildings or persons occurs due to signs falling or being blown over, the sponsoring organization is responsible for damages and restitution. See below for further information on safety requirements for specific types of signs.3. Damage & LegibilityIf a sign becomes damaged, it must be removed immediately. Sponsoring organizations are responsible for maintaining their own signs. University officials have the right to remove damaged signs. UNF is not responsible for damage, theft or vandalism to signs.4. RestrictionsUniversity officials reserve the right to remove signs that do not meet the following criteria: a. Signs may not be placed closer than 30” to a road and may not be placed in a manner which obstructs vehicular or pedestrian visibility of a road or a sidewalk or interferes with normal

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pedestrian traffic flow. Signs cannot be placed closer than 50’ from the University entrances.b. Signs are not permitted in roadway medians.c. Signs or other printed materials shall not be placed on vehicles, light posts, benches, trees, trash receptacles, bus/shuttle stops, and other outdoor structures. Only University approved advertisements maybe placed on bus stops.d. No banners, signs, or printed materials may be placed on boardwalks, in wetlands or forest areas, lakes, ponds or water features and raised flowerbeds. With prior approval, exceptions can be made for art installations in water features. e. No banners or signs may be hung over roadways.f. Signs shall not be affixed to sidewalks or other walkways.g. Posters and flyers may only be posted in designated areas, such as bulletin boards. Advertisements and announcements may not be posted on the exterior or interior of University buildings.h. Flyers and handbills may not be left unattended and unfixed on outdoor surfaces where they may blow away. For further guidance regarding placement of flyers and handbills, see the University’s regulation regarding Distribution of Printed Materials (7.0060R).i. No signage or other objects may be nailed, stapled, or tied to trees.

Note: These are snippets from the UNF Policies and Regulations. If you want to read them in their entirety, then visit: unf.edu/president/policies_regulations or google “UNF signage policy.”

I included these snippets just to give you a general idea about the University’s signage policy because Elections policy aligns with the University’s. You are expected to adhere to University guidelines with respect to signage. The Office of Elections has a special exception for Elections so involved parties aren’t restricted to a time constraint of X-number of days during the Elections Cycle.

The procedure for getting signage approved will be as such:

1. Submit campaign materials form to be approved by the Elections Commissioner

2. Once approved, submit the Student Union’s form either online or to their office according to SU guidelines. *this may take up to 10 days to approve*

3. Upon approval may set up signs across campus within the constraints of UNF signage policy beginning with Party Fair.

4. Take signs down by the day after Elections by 5:00pm.

*** DO NOT PUT ANY SIGNAGE ON FLOWERBEDS, RAISED OR OTHERWISE. To be safe and avoid any conflicts with policy, stick to grassy areas alone. If you

aren’t certain, either ask the Elections Commissioner or avoid placement ***

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The Office of ElectionsElection Signage Map

The Election Signage Map in so many words are as follows:

1. As UNF Drive forms a loop, all area within that loop beginning with the curb interior to the inside lane shall be the Interior Signage Area and shall permit:

Only yard signs with small metal stakes and free standing A-frame signs shall be permitted on the ground.

Banners, column wraps, and chalking shall be permitted in accordance with the University’s signage guidelines.

2. As UNF Drive forms a loop, all area surrounding the loop beginning with the curb of the exterior lane and extending to the defined borders shall be the Exterior Signage Area and shall permit:

Larger plywood or other material signs, along with the yard signs with small metal stakes shall be permitted.

Any sign requiring a hole to be dug must receive a dig permit as outlined in section 4.

3. The defined borders acting as boundaries and creating within them the Exterior Signage Area shall be:

The main entrance to campus as defined by the large entry way adjacent to I-295 The north entrance intersecting with Central Parkway at the north end of Lot 18

beginning at the UNF entry way sign. The sidewalks at the stop light at the intersection of Alumni Drive and Kernan

Blvd. The entry-way sign at the entrance to the Fountains being Osprey Ridge Road. No sign shall be placed on Betty Holzendorf Drive past the Golf Course Facility

House as defined by building 48.4. Any sign requiring a hole to be dug that is to be placed in the Exterior Signage Area

must receive a dig permit from Physical Facilities prior to instalment. The procedure for this is as follows:

Contact Physical Facilities located in Building 5.

Each sign will require a dig permit. All dig permits should be retained by campaigns as proof. It is recommended that each campaign turn in a copy of each dig permit to the

Elections Commissioner as soon as possible following approval.5. General:

Any sign found to be outside of the defined Exterior Signage Area will be considered in violation of the Election Signage Map.

Any sign requiring a hole be dug that does not have a corresponding dig permit will be considered in violation of the Election Signage Map.

No signage of any kind will be permitted in any median separating lanes of a road.

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Spring 2019Candidate Financial Statement

Due Thursday, March 7th by 5:00 p.m.

Party or Candidate Name: ________________________

By signing below, I alone affirm the accuracy of the attached financial statement and accept full responsibility for its contents.

Party Chair or Independent Candidate Signature: ________________________ Date: __/__/___

Policy for Financial Statements

Please list all direct campaign expenses, all materials donated to the campaign, and all re-used materials. The inclusion of a sales receipt is required for all direct expenses. All donated materials must

be claimed at current market value. All contributions and donations, monetary or otherwise must be accurately reported and must include the name of the donor, contribution type, and market value of the donation. Each calendar year, any re-used item will depreciate by half. After four (4) years of re-use, an

item may be claimed at zero (0) percent of the current market value. All elections contested or not contested shall require parties as well as candidates to file financial statements.

Description Place of Purchase Quantity Unit Price Subtotal Total + Tax

Ex. Poster board UNF Bookstore 10 $0.50 $5.00 $5.35123456789

10111213

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