Student Government Association Executive Committee Elections are rapidly approaching. Before campus comes alive with student campaigning, it may be important for voters to understand how the candidates made it on the ballot.

Most students probably do not understand what the SGA election process involves, said Elections and Recruitments Chairperson Jensen Joiner.

“Everything about elections is actually lined out for us in the Code of Laws,” Joiner said.

Anyone running for an executive position must maintain at least a 2.25 GPA, be a full-time student, present a petition for candidacy with 300 student signatures to the Office of Student Engagement three weeks before elections and score at least 60 percent on a written test about the SGA Constitution Code of Laws and parliamentary procedure, according to the Code of Laws.

Candidates for president or vice president must be a junior, senior or graduate student. Anyone running for secretary or treasurer must be a sophomore, junior, senior or graduate student, according to the Code of Laws.

Each candidate’s application for an executive position should include a headshot and be turned in two weeks before elections, Joiner said.

During the elections, candidates cannot have any kind of campaign materials or be within 25 feet of the polls, Joiner said.

The Code of Laws also makes other stipulations about elections, he said.

“There are a lot of really picky things in the Code of Laws we have to follow,” he said. “The candidates really have to be careful to follow all the rules.”

Other stipulations include:

Candidates cannot purchase advertisements in any off-campus commercial media except The Flor-Ala student newspaper.

Candidates cannot spend more than $500 on a campaign, even if someone else donates the money. Itemized statements and receipts of spending must be turned in to the Student Engagement Office before election results are tabulated.

No facility on campus may be used in support for any one candidate without making the same facility available to all candidates.

No candidate can ask for the support of any employee of the university in any capacity of his or her campaign.

No candidate may accept service or contribution from any type of off-campus place of business.

If a candidate violates any portion of the Code of Laws, he or she will be referred to the Student Conduct Board, Joiner said.

Editor’s note: For information on the candidates in the upcoming SGA election, check out next week’s issue of The Flor-Ala.