Elections
Run for Office
Step 1: Get informed
The first step is to attend an information session. At the information session, the Elections Commissioner will let you know what positions are available, what the election process is, and what rules need to be followed. Every candidate must attend at least one of these information sessions. You can take a look a the AUSG Elections Guide to get familiar with how to run!
Step 2: Get on the ballot
The next step is to get yourself on the ballot. After attending an information session, you will be told how to petition for candidacy. To get on the ballot, a student must get a certain number of students to approve of their candidacy for a specific position. All petitions will be submitted to the Elections Commission for verification, along with other paperwork declaring candidacy at the Nomination Convention. Once all petitions and paperwork are submitted, the Elections Commission and Student Activities run checks on candidates to make sure there are no outstanding student conduct charges and that the student has the required GPA. Once these checks have been made, the Elections Commission will post a list of Certified Candidates. Certified Candidates are candidates that will appear on the ballot once voting begins. After the Nomination Convention, only write-in candidates may declare their intent to run for elected office. To do this, the student should contact the Elections Commission.
A note about constituency signatures: Please create an electronic copy of your signatures. A signature spreadsheet must include a students Name, AUID #, Class, School, and AU email. These criteria are considered a students electronic signature and will be shared with commission at Nomination Convention, along with your paperwork you received at the information session.
Step 3: Campaigning
The Elections Commission will set a date and time that candidates may start campaigning. This is when posters can be posted, social media pages can be published, and candidates and campaign staff can begin getting the votes of the students they hope to represent. During this time, there are many rules and regulations about acceptable campaigning that must be follow. These rules and regulations are published here. During the campaign period, candidates and campaign should use the Election Action Center, to report campaign staff and financial transactions, submit violations, and request policy interpretations. Campaigning can continue until the voting period ends.
Step 4: Voting
At a specific date and time, the Elections Commission will begin the voting process. During this time, a link will become available on each students myAU Portal, under Life@AU.
Step 5: Certification
Following the conclusion of the campaigning and voting periods, the Joint Committee on Elections Policy will meet to discuss the manner in which the election was administered. The Joint Committee will vote to certify that the election was conducted in a manner that was free and fair to all students, and not plagued by voter disenfranchisement or abject corruption of election-related officials and organizations. If the Joint Committee does not vote to certify a particular race, then the race must go through another round of voting.
Step 6: Announcement of Results
The results of all certified races will be announced by the Elections Commission following the special meetings of the Joint Committee on Elections Policy and the Undergraduate Senate. They will also be posted online shortly afterward.
How to Vote
Step 1: Know where to vote
When the voting process begins, students will receive an email notifying them that they are allowed to begin voting. Students will login to the myAU account, and the online ballot will be linked through Campus Labs.
Step 2: Know Your Credits and Your School
Many of SG races are both class and school specific (i.e. Class of 2024 President, Senator for the School of Public Affairs). In order to vote for candidates in these races, you must also be a member of the same class/school. Class standing is determined by credits. For example, a technical freshman (Class of 2025) that has earned more than 29 credits at the time of the election will vote in all Class of 2024-specific elections.
Class of 2026 (0-29 Credits)
Class of 2025 (30-59 Credits)
Class of 2024 (60-89 Credits)
Class of 2023 (90+ Credits)
School standing is determined by your degree granting program (i.e. your major). Students will be allowed to vote for their school representatives if they are a declared or an intended major within that school.
Results Archive
The Elections Commission, in accordance with its transparency mandate, is obligated to display the full results of each election. The documents below will display every race, every candidate, and the percentage of total votes.
*The Elections Commission in coordination with the Joint Committee on Election Policy has archived as many elections as possible (with 2019 being the last). The above is listed from the most recent election to the oldest elections.
Contact elections@ausg.org if you have any questions!