Elections

All candidates must be students enrolled in at least 6 credit hours of courses on the Lawrence Campus or Edwards Campus of the University.

• Credit hour limitations do not apply to graduate students.
• For fall elections, a first-year student is any student taking their first year of courses at any post-secondary educational institution, not including any courses taken during high school or in a summer term immediately following graduation from high school.

Each candidate must be a member of their constituency at the time of the election.

Candidates for Student Body President and Vice President must run on a joint Presidential Ticket.

Definitions:

Freshmen & Sophomores

• Students who will have completed less than 60 credit hours before ballots open.

Juniors, Seniors & Graduate Students

• Students who will have completed at least 60 credit hours before ballots open.

International Students:

• Any student who is not: A U.S. citizen, A U.S. permanent resident, A U.S. asylee, or A non-immigrant with a pending application for permanent residence or asylum.

Off-Campus Students

• Students in Lawrence or Edwards programs who do not lease through KU Housing.
• KU manages some units in the HERE apartments. Students who live at the HERE and lease through KU, are On-Campus Apartment Living students. Students who lease through the HERE are Off-Campus Students.
• One of the five available seats is reserved for students enrolled in Edwards Campus programs.

Non-Traditional Students

• Students who meet any of the following criteria: are at least twenty-four years old, are married, are a parent, are a veteran, are active military or otherwise able to be called into service in a way that would disrupt coursework, are commuting more than ten miles to the University, have had a break of at least two years in their college education, are a primary caregiver, or are a full-time employee working 40 hours or more per week.

The Student Senate provides general supplies to all candidates, and funding for campaign materials to the candidates in each presidential ticket.

Restrictions:

Candidates are prohibited from using any other funds or supplies for campaigning, including the candidate’s own money.

• Exceptions can be made if the supplies would be reasonably available to any candidate (e.g. a folding table for tabling). Email election@ku.edu in advance for approval.

Campaign Resource Closet:

All candidates have access to the Student Senate Campaign Resource Closet located in the Student Senate Office on the fourth floor of the Memorial Union.

Resources available in the closet include, but are not limited to: 

• Sidewalk Chalk,
• Poster Board
• Markers
• Copy Paper
• Cardstock
• Buttons
• Button Maker
• Accommodation Services
• Free Printing Services via the Student Senate office printer.
  • Candidates may also free KU Student Housing printers if they are accessible.

If a resource is missing email election@ku.edu. 

Presidential Ticket Funds:

Each presidential ticket is allocated $500 to spend on campaign materials. 

• Purchased materials must be approved by emailing election@ku.edu.
• All purchases must be made through Student Senate. Invoice everything related to the campaign.
• Student Senate is unable to process reimbursements.
• Amazon, Staples, and Jayhawk Ink are preferred vendors.
• It can take up to 4 weeks to fulfill orders so get them in as soon as possible!

General Restrictions:

• Candidates may only begin campaigning once they’ve officially filed their Declaration of Candidacy. Write in candidates may only begin campaigning once the deadline to declare candidacy has passed.
• Candidates are allowed to approach voters and show them how to vote in Student Senate Elections. However, once voters have advanced to making candidate selections on the official election ballot, candidates are not allowed to speak to voters.
• No candidate may provide campaign materials to a student in exchange for that student voting for the candidate, or any other candidate in their Student Coalition, through an express or implied agreement with that student.

Endorsements:

• No candidate may state or advertise the endorsement of any person or group for themself or another candidate, when that endorsement has not been made by the person or group.
• No current member of Student Senate may campaign on behalf of any student running for First-Year Student Senator

Physical Campaigning:

• Election campaign materials cannot be distributed in private properties without permission from the property owner or their agent.
• Food and alcoholic beverages may not be used to support or oppose an election campaign.
• Other than proper chalking, candidates must remove all physical on-campus campaign materials by Sunday following the Election.
• All election campaign chalking must be located on a walking surface exposed to the weather. Chalking must be done with water-soluble sidewalk chalk. Candidates may not alter the chalking of other candidates without their consent.
• Candidates can table outside any building on the KU Campus.

Digital Campaigning:

• Candidates can use websites and social media accounts for campaigning.
• The Senate website, the Senate email accounts, and the Senate social media accounts cannot be used to support or oppose the election of any candidate.
• Candidates may not send any form of direct digital communication without a students consent including but not limited to, campaign emails, phone calls, text-messages, or direct messages on social media.

All students who participate in Student Senate have the right to create, organize into, and/or join existing Student Coalitions throughout the academic year.

Recognition:

To be recognized by the Student Elections Commission and listed on the Spring Election Ballot, Student Coalitions must: 

• Send a list of all affiliated candidates to the Student Elections Commission by the deadline in the elections schedule. Registered Candidates that consent to being placed on a Student Coalition Affiliation List shall have the Student Coalition placed next to their name on the Official Election Ballot.
• The name of the Student Coalition shall not be obscene, discriminatory, or illegal.

Contact election@ku.edu to change your coalition or withdraw from a coalition before the deadline for coalition registration.

Restrictions:

No first-year students are permitted to run as a coalition in the Fall Elections and no current members of Student Senate may campaign their behalf.

Any student may, by a petition for a ballot referendum, place legislation on the Spring Election Ballot.

Format:

A petition must contain the exact wording of the legislation it proposes, along with a brief factual summary of the effect the legislation would have if enacted. 

Restrictions:

Ballot referendum may not propose legislation to deny or revoke funding provided by the Student Senate to any recognized student organization.

Signature Threshold: 

• A petition must receive signatures from at least 5% of all students enrolled in courses in the Lawrence Campus and Edwards Campus of the University.
  • For Spring 2026: 1361 signatures are required
• A signature must include the student’s name and university identification number. No student’s signature may be included on a petition for a ballot referendum without their consent.
• Physical forms, or digital surveys that are compatible with KU Single Sign On, such as Qualtrics and Microsoft Forms, can be used to collect signatures.

Filing:

1. Contact the Speaker of the Students' Assembly to verify that the legislation is properly formatted and does not conflict with the Student Senate Constitution or University policy.
2. Email the petition and list of signatures to election@ku.edu.

Vote Threshold:

To be enacted, at least 10% of all eligible students must vote on the referendum, and more than 50% of those votes must be in favor.

To become a candidate you must file a Declaration of Candidacy form. All Student Senate can all be found on Rock Chalk Central. Check the elections schedule to see when they open.

• Gathering of signatures is not necessary for candidates

No. Once you have completed your Declaration of Candidacy form, you may begin campaigning through the end of the elections schedule. 

No. You must be a member of the division that the position represents.

• For example: you cannot be an Engineering representative if you are not a member of the Engineering school.

If you are a member of multiple divisions, you may only run in one. Voters may still add you as a write in candidate in the other division.

• For example: If you are an international law student you may run for the international graduate senator position or the law school senator position but not both.

There is no definitive timeline. Elections Commission will determine if the election has been certified, and results will be shared once this process is complete. You may request a recount or contest the results before Monday at 5pm the week following the election.    

Each Presidential and Vice Presidential ticket is jointly allocated $500 for campaigning. 

Candidates are prohibited from utilizing outside funding or resources to participate in the Student Senate Election. You are able to use any materials within the Campaign Resource Closet in the Student Senate Offices on the fourth floor of the Memorial Union.

Campaigning can be done through various methods such as:

• Tabling outside of buildings on the KU Campus
• Chalking with water-soluble sidewalk chalk on horizontal surfaces exposed to the weather
• Distributing campaign materials such as bulletin boards on campus (with approval)
  • Items must be removed from all on-campus locations by the end of Election Week
• Visiting student organization during their meetings
• Digitally through candidate websites or social media accounts

The Student Senate Elections Commission is established as a non-partisan body to ensure a fair election process. The commission sets all deadlines and polling dates, develops voting methods for students, coordinates debates, and oversees any campaign violations and investigations. Members are selected before the election season. The five commissioners serve two-year terms, internally elect their chair, and are advised by Student Affairs.