As the University of Cincinnati (UC) Undergraduate Student Government (SG) begins its process to elect a new class of student representatives, The News Record has everything you need to know about the upcoming election season.
Who’s currently in office?
The current government positions are held by President April Gable and Vice President Taylor Allgood, who are finishing their one-year terms. Gable and Allgood are not running for office again.
Who can students elect?
Each spring, SG is to elect a new executive branch that includes a president and vice president, who can nominate an executive staff, student court and cabinet that serve as liaisons between the student government and all areas of campus, according to the SG website.
In addition, senators and at-large senators are elected to represent undergraduate students in the UC community.
Who runs the election process?
The election process itself is run by the Election Facilitation Committee (EFC), an independent, third-party organization separate from SG.
“We are here to encourage students to run for office, to ensure an equitable election process, and to ensure students vote so their voices are heard on campus,” said Tyler Benson, chairman of the EFC. “Primarily, EFC facilitates the voting platform, hosts orientation sessions for candidates and team members, completes finance checks, holds grievance hearings when an alleged rule violation occurs, and most importantly hosts events to engage the candidates with the student body at UC.”
Who is running?
An official candidate list for the SG election is not available at this time. All nominees will be on the EFC social media platforms in the coming days. Students can follow @CincyEFC on Instagram for updates during this election season.
When will campaigning start?
Candidates may begin campaigning on Feb. 14, while their slates may begin their campaigns two days later on Feb. 16.
How do students get involved?
UC students can be involved in the election processes by attending events run by EFC and voting on their preferred SG representatives beginning on Feb. 28.
There are multiple events that are run by the committee during the election season. All information is available on its CampusLink page.
“SG is an important part of every student’s life here at UC whether they realize it or not. By voting in the upcoming election, the students are not only deciding on the future senators and president/vice president that will be representing them but the slate that gets the majority of the votes will also be selecting the future staff and directors who plan initiatives within SG,” said Amisha Saini, vice-chair of logistics and event planning for the EFC. “In its essence, the leadership the student body decides on is what sets the pace and the tones of what the student leadership can provide the student body with.”
When are results announced?
Results of the SG election are released on March 4. The event will be live streamed from Kade Center in the Old Chemistry Building at 6 p.m.
According to Benson, the newly elected student body president and student body vice president and at-large senators will be sworn no later than the second senate meeting from the date of the election.
