The Student Senate has 40 seats, and each year, 10 of those seats are reserved for students who weren’t at Mason the year before: freshmen and transfer students. In the fall semester, those 10 seats are up for grabs. The Elections and Disputes Commission (EDC), the third branch of Student Government, runs these elections and ensures they are fair. Because of COVID-19, these elections are completely virtual, which means that no matter where you are living this semester, you can still run for Student Senate. If you are a freshman or transfer student and you’re interested in running for Student Senate, here’s how:
- Attend a candidacy meeting. These meetings are required if you want to be on the ballot when voting starts. They are virtual meetings, so you can attend from wherever you are. In candidacy meetings, you will learn about the election timeline and the regulations for campaigning. At the end you will be given a meeting code that you must enter on your candidacy application to prove your attendance. To register for a candidacy meeting, visit https://sg.gmu.edu/elections. There are five meetings remaining:
- Friday, Sept. 4 at 9 AM ET
- Monday, Sept. 7 at 6 PM ET
- Friday, Sept. 11 at 10 AM ET
- Monday, Sept. 14 at 7 PM ET
- Friday, Sept. 18 at 11 AM ET
- Submit a candidate application. In addition to the code from your candidate meeting, the application will ask for basic information about you, a copy of your class schedule to make sure you can attend Senate meetings if elected, and affirmations that you have read and understand the rules for elections. Applications are due on Friday, Sept. 18 at 11:59 PM ET. You can find that application at https://sg.gmu.edu/elections.
- Get notified about your candidacy status. The EDC reviews your application and notifies everyone who submitted one with their candidacy status on Saturday, Sept. 19. If you filled it out correctly and meet the requirements in the Election Code, you will be allowed to appear on the ballot.
- Campaign. Campaigning begins on Monday, Sept. 21. This year due to COVID-19, all campaigning will be virtual. Do everything you can to get out the vote!
- Vote. The election period begins on Monday, Sept. 28 and ends on Wednesday, Sept. 30. As always, voting is totally virtual, all on Mason360. Students may vote for up to 10 candidates.
- Await the results. The 10 highest vote-getters will win election to Student Senate. The EDC will announce the results of the election on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 12:00 PM ET. Candidates will be emailed directly, and the results will be posted online.
The first Student Senate meeting with the newly elected members will be that same day, Thursday, Oct. 1 at 4:30 PM ET. If you have any questions about elections, your first stop is https://sg.gmu.edu/elections. There you will find the application, the Election Code, and all the relevant forms for campaigning that you learn about in the candidacy meeting. If you have any specific questions, please email the EDC at sgedc@gmu.edu.