Results and Transition

Results for the run-off election have been announced and posted at http://election.tamu.edu

The Commission will be working over the next couple of weeks to compile documents and prepare a lengthy set of recommendations to future students that hold these positions.  We will release a summary of these recommendations upon concluding this work.

Results announcement time changed

Results of the run-off election will now be announced at 10 PM on Thursday night at Sul Ross

Voting Reminder Message

Please forward the following voting reminder message (this is the only message allowed over any listserv or group during voting days):

Howdy Students,

Voting online for student body elections begins Wednesday at 9:00 AM and continues overnight ending Thursday at 5:00 PM.  Voting takes place online at http://vote.tamu.edu and takes only about five minutes.  Please take this short time out of your day to vote in these elections and help move Texas A&M towards a brighter future.  Again, voting occurs online at http://vote.tamu.edu and also in the MSC Foyer by the Flag Room.

Thanks and gig ‘em,
Jake Bathman
Election Commissioner
tamuelection@gmail.com

Final Reminders

Howdy Candidates,

Please read this post in its entirety.

Final Finance Reports are due tomorrow by 5:00 in the box next to the Student Activities desk (to the right once you walk through the glass doors).

• Please use the same file that you used for the midterm report (you may update your old form with new purchases)
• You will be including original receipts for all purchases to date.
• You must submit a report if you did not spend any money.  Please turn in the cover page (sheet #1 on the Excel document) signed by the deadline.

All campaigning must cease tonight at 11:59:59 PM. 

Here is what you can do after that time:

• Remind students to vote, using materials black and white only with no candidates nameSend emails, messages, etc., to any person or group as a voting reminder (the text for these emails or messages will be standardized and we’ll send that to you in another email).
• Leave anything up (except Facebook statuses) that were posted about campaigning before midnight.  This includes messages to groups, wall-posts, and profile pictures.  This is the same rule that allows you to leave on car paint if it’s put on tonight, or fliers up in dorms.

Here’s what you may not do:

• Send messages about a candidate after midnight tonight
• Campaign in any way, including by phone, text, or in person, for a particular candidate
• Wear any campaign materials or have them displayed after midnight.

Voting begins at 9:00 AM online at http://vote.tamu.edu

• Any currently enrolled student (including graduating seniors) may vote, and any student may only vote once
• Students will use their NetID and password to log into the voting website
• Voting online will continue overnight and end Thursday at 5:00 PM. This means students can vote from the convenience of their home at any time between 9:00 AM Wednesday and 5:00 PM Thursday.

Results will be announced at 8:00 PM at Sul Ross on Thursday.  We will begin the announcement promptly at the top of the hour.

If you have any further questions, as always please email me at tamuelection@gmail.com

Good luck!

Tuesday Debate & Yell

Today we will have an SBP Debate and Yell Practice beginning at 3:30.  The format of the debate will be different than the forum last thursday, as we will be encouraging more substantive discussion between the candidates.

Yell Leaders: the yell practice will be the same format as last time, but the yells will be repeated this time (e.g. the order will go the same as Thursday, but repeated a second time so the students can get a sense for the candidates).

SBP Candidates: The Yell Practice will be first, but please arrive ready to go at 3:30.  The issues we will discuss are nothing more than what you have either covered in your platforms or other debates and speeches.  I will have a sheet listing the format and debate guidelines at your seat for your reference.

Fines List

There have been some questions about the fines for violations that are given to candidates, so I want to clear up those questions now.

The fines list (http://election.tamu.edu/fines.pdf) is updated ONLY when there are updates.  I’m not going to post a new file every night if it doesn’t have any changes.  Therefore, if there isn’t an updated list, there are no updates to post.

There is a process that follows once the Commission receives a report of a violation.  First, we investigate it, often asking the reporting party for more specific information or evidence (e.g. a picture).  Next, we decide if it is a violation of the regulations or not.  Third, I email the candidate and give time for any discussions between myself and the candidate, often learning more information at this time.  Finally, the public list is updated and posted if necessary.

If you submit a report, you may not hear anything  back from us.  This does not mean that we have not looked into the report (as we look at every report with much seriousness and scrutiny).  Please understand we will not respond to these emails unless we need more information from you, and we appreciate your cooperation on this matter.

If you have any questions about this, please email me.

Midterm Finance Report DUE WEDNESDAY BY 5:00

This is a reminder that your midterm finance reports are DUE TOMORROW: WEDNESDAY MARCH 19 BY 5:00 PM. These must be submitted in hard copy to Koldus in a box next to the Student Activities worker desk (ask if you aren’t sure where that is).

REMEMBER: THIS REPORT CONTAINS COPIES OF RECEIPTS FOR ALL PURCHASES TO-DATE. Please use only this form, also found on the election website.

Finally: if you have spent NO MONEY, you must still submit a signed report totaling $0.

If you have any questions, please email me.

Residence Hall Campaigning (! IMPORTANT !)

Campaigning in residence halls begins this evening.  Please refer to the Candidates Meeting presentation if you have questions about this process.  THERE IS ONE CHANGE to the schedule:

Wednesday will include ALL SOUTHSIDE HALLS and Thursday dorm campaigning is cancelled.

Please see the file below for a reminder of the process each night at the halls:
Residence Hall Campaigning Information

Reminders

1) When holding signs on campus, please make sure to have something between the sign and the ground.  This is a university regulation, not ours.

2) Please abide by regulations that limit the number of fliers on bulletin boards and kiosks, having no more than 1 and 3 fliers on each respectively.

3) If you are campaigning in a group/ticket/bunch/etc. you MUST fill out a Declaration of Co-Candidacy form (http://election.tamu.edu/tickets).  If you have questions on that please email me

4) If you want to post fliers off campus (inside businesses or other private property) you must submit 24-hours prior a Private Property Approval Form signed by a manager of the business or the resident of a dwelling.

5) Remember to register any materials that you plan to use at least 24-hours prior to their use.

Turning in forms

Koldus is closed possibly through Sunday, so if you need to turn in forms today or tomorrow please call Ashlie Sears at (281) 682-3993.

Debates and Forums

[updated]

SBP and Yell Candidates Only

We will be having a Candidate Forum and Debate at two separate times during campaigning.

• Important: please send a digital 8.5″ x 11″ color flyer, landscape oriented (preferably with your name and campaign colors prominent).  These will be attached to the table in front of you at these events as a type of name tag, so that voters may recognize you both by name and by marketing theme

The first is Thursday at 12:00 noon in the Flag Room.

• This will be a forum where candidates for SBP will be able to have prepared remarks and will answer some very general policy questions from the Commission and possibly students observing.
• Please have campaign remarks prepared around 2 minutes in length.
• Yell Candidates may arrive at around 12:30, and when the SBP Candidates have finished our policy conversation we will have short remarks (if you would like) and then a short yell practice with the candidates.

The SBP Debate will be the second Tuesday (March 25) at 3:30 PM in Rudder Theater The Flag Room

• SBP Candidates should prepare short general remarks for an opening statement and closing statement, each no more than 2 minutes.
• The Commission will pose questions to candidates or groups of candidates and the format will follow more of a debate style (where time for answering a question or rebutting another candidate’s response will be allowed)

I will be dispersing specific time schedules for these events, and a topic list can be found on the Staff Regulation Guide Edition 1 on our website.

Spring Break

I will have access to email during spring break and I will make efforts to return emails one or two times per day.  I will also have limited access to a computer.

Unless I have requested or told you otherwise, please do not call my personal number over the break.  Email will do just fine, and I will be back in College Station no later than Saturday to prepare for next week.

Corps Campaigning Reminder

As a reminder, you must turn in fliers to be posted in the Corps Dorms by Noon today.  See the .pdf document below this post, which is the specific slides from the candidates meeting presentation detailing this topic.If you have any questions, contact Zach Whitehurst (contact information on the last slide).

Info on corps campaigning.pdf

Registering Materials

Pretty soon you will be turning in materials you will be using for
campaigning. With that in mind, I would like to give you a couple of
reminders.

1) If you are running on a ticket with someone else, every person
whose name will appear on the campaigning material must individually
register the item with me. So if there are five names on a flyer, then
all five people must send me an email registering the material. I use
this as a check to make sure that everyone knows that their name is
being used.

2) Materials must be registered 24 hours ahead of when they plan to be
used. So if you want to begin using an item at 8 am one Monday
morning, then I need an email in my box registering this material by
7:59 am Sunday morning. The sooner you send something to be registered
with me, the sooner I can approve its usage. Please do not begin using
an item until you have heard back from me.

3) Remember for registration, you do not have to register materials
being used to make the item, only the main item being used (so I dont
need to know how many paintbrushes you are using)

4) I need a picture of every item you are registering. If it is a
flyer, attach the flyer in a word document (please no Office 2007
files!) If you are making say a banner, or tshirt, you can send just
the design that will be going on it, you dont have to have an actual
picture of it.

5) In your email, please try to be as descriptive as possible as to
the item you are registering. Dont just say flyer, but say the size
(full page, half, quarter, etc) or banner (queen size, king size,
etc).

6) If you decide to change the quantity amount of an item, you must
register the new amout with me. If you do not and we see you have used
it on your finance report, you will be fined for not registering the
material.

7) At the end of this email, there is a sample as to how you need to
register your materials. If it is not in this format, I will send it
back to you and you will have to redo it. I have many emails coming in
and I do not have time to try to figure out what exactly it is you are
registering. (Just copy and paste what I have sent yall)

Private property forms and endorsement forms will need to be turned
in to my box 24 hours prior to their use. There will be a box at the
Election Commission cube in Koldus for them. Remember Koldus is not
open all hours of the day. I will check my box periodically and send
confirmation to you that I received them. Please do not proceed with
either until you hear a confirmation from me.

I know this is a lot of information. Please feel free to contact me at
electionmaterials@gmail.com any time you have questions. Remember its
better to be safe than sorry, so ask. Good luck to everyone!

~Ashlie Sears

Sample Email for Registering Materials

Howdy Ashlie!

Listed below are the materials I wish to register. Thanks and gig’em.

1) Full page flyer                       100
Attachment 1
2) Queen size sheet banner           5                        Attachment 2
3) Stickers                               1000 (or 2 rolls)        Attachment 3

~Your name
Questions about registering materials can be sent to electionmaterials@gmail.com

Corresponding to the Commission

I have been dealing with some personal matters over the past few days.  As such, please excuse my delay in returning emails or phone calls, and I will attempt to catch up in the next day or two.

Again, unless there is a very pressing question you have please do not call my personal phone.  Likewise, do not call outside of reasonable hours or over the weekend.  Emails suffice for 99% of communication.