Elections Code

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LSSB ELECTIONS CODE

ABRIDGED LSSB ELECTIONS CODE (F.A.Q.)

Q: Can I vote?
A: Everyone recognized by the Law School Registrar as a currently
enrolled University of Mississippi Law Student may vote,
whether a member of the LSSB or not.
(I)(a)

Q: Can I run for office?
A: If you meet the requirements outlined in the LSSB Constitution
and complete an "Elections Petition", you can run.
(I)(d)

Q: What offices could I run for?
A: LSSB President, Vice-President, Social Chair, Treasurer,
Attorney General, Secretary and ABA Representative, Class Senators,
Honor Counsel Members and Honor Counsel Chairperson.
(I)(f)(1)-(3)

Q: What do I have to do to run?
A: You must attend an interest meeting, declare the office you want to run for,
and complete an Elections Petition persuant to the instructions given at the meeting.
(II)(a), (b), (d)

Q: How can I campaign?
A: You can campaign by unlimited word-of-mouth,
by email (including OleMiss Webmail) but not using Ole Miss listserves,
and by posting 8.5"x11" flyers on lockers by permission or in mailboxes.
(III)(b), (III)(d)(1)-(3)

Q: Where do I vote?
A: In the Law School Mall at the LSSB table
(V)(a)

Q: Will I have an opportunity to address the student body if I run?
A: Yes. On the Sunday before Elections, the LSSB will hold an Elections Forum where members of the student body may ask questions to Presidential candidates and all other candidates will be given up to 10 minutes to present their platforms.
(IV)(a)-(c)

I. Eligibility to Vote and to Run for Office

(a) Everyone recognized by the Law School Registrar as a currently enrolled University of Mississippi Law Student may vote in a LSSB election, whether they have paid their annual LSSB dues or not.

(b) There shall be two ballots in the LSSB Spring Election. All law students qualified to vote in Rule I-a are eligible to vote in “Ballot 1.” Ballot 1 shall be an election for the Executive Branch plus the Honor Council Chair. Senior (3L) students who are graduating in May are eligible to vote in the Ballot 1 elections.

(c) “Ballot 2” shall be an election for the Legislative Branch plus the Honor Council Members. Because these positions are academic class-specific, only members of a specific academic class, as determined by the Law School Registrar, may vote to elect the Senate and Honor Council representatives for that class. As a result, senior (3L) students who graduate before the next Fall term will not vote in any Ballot 2 election.

(d) Students who wish to run for any LSSB position must meet the requirements set forth in the LSSB Constitution, which may include a minimum GPA requirement and a minimum completed law school credit hours requirement. In addition, every candidate for any LSSB position must complete and timely submit an “Elections Petition” which will be supplied by the LSSB “Elections Commission”.

(e) Any student serving as an Elections Commissioner is disqualified from running for any LSSB elected position.

(f) No student may simultaneously hold a position in more than one branch of the LSSB government, and as a result, no student may run for more than one branch of the LSSB government on a single ballot. The branches are defined as follows:

(1) Executive: LSSB President, Vice-President, Social Chair, Treasurer, Attorney General and Secretary (what about ABA rep???). Other positions appointed by the LSSB President, such as Intramural Sports Chair, Communications Director, and Chief of Staff, are not members of the Executive branch for purposes of the Elections Rules. Except that an Elections Commissioner may not be a candidate for any LSSB elected position.

(2) Legislative: LSSB Senators only. Students who serve in positions and on committees created by the LSSB Senate, such as the Student-Faculty Relations Committee, and who are not themselves members of the LSSB Senate are not members of the Legislative branch for purposes of the elections rules.

(g) As elections for the Executive branch plus the Honor Council Chair are on Ballot 1 and elections for the Legislative branch plus Honor Council members are on Ballot 2, candidates on Ballot 1 who are not elected may then be candidates on Ballot 2.

(a) All candidates for any LSSB elected position on either Ballot 1, Ballot 2, or both must attend one of the “Interest Meetings” held on the Monday and Tuesday prior to the Ballot 1 election. Candidates may choose to attend whichever meeting is most convenient for them. If a potential candidate has a compelling conflict which would prevent her from attending either meeting, she must inform the LSSB Elections Commission by Noon on the Monday of the First Interest Meeting. The Elections Commission will have the sole discretion in determining whether the candidate’s reason for not attending an Interest Meeting is sufficiently compelling to excuse her absence.

(b) Candidates must declare at the Interest Meeting the LSSB position for which they are running. Except that candidates who are running on Ballot 1 do not have to declare their intention to run on Ballot 2 should they fail to be elected during Ballot 1.

(c) The Elections Commission shall explain the elections rules at the Interest Meeting and answer any candidates’ questions regarding elections rules, election procedures, and the description and requirements of the LSSB positions.

(d) The Elections Commission shall distribute Elections Petitions for Ballot 1 and Ballot 2 to the candidates and answer any question regarding the completion and submission of the Elections Petitions. The format and requested content of the Elections Petitions shall be at the sole discretion of the Elections Commission.

(e) Petitions shall be distributed only at the Interest Meeting and only to those in attendance.

(1) Except that the Elections Commission may distribute a petition to any candidate excused from the meetings under Rule II-a above.

(2) Additionally, the Elections Commission may distribute a petition to any candidate who was rightly in possession of an Election Petition and subsequently misplaced the petition.

(3) Additionally, the Elections Commission shall distribute, at the request of the candidate, a Ballot 2 Elections Petition to any candidate who fails to win election during Ballot 1. The former Ballot 1 candidate will then be a Ballot 2 candidate and must conform to all rules relating to Ballot 2 candidates.

(f) Elections Petitions for Ballot 1 must be completed and submitted to the folder on the outside of the door to the LSSB office no later than 5:00pm on the Thursday immediately following the Interest Meetings. Late Elections Petitions shallnot be accepted.

(g) Elections Petitions for Ballot 2 must be completed and submitted to the folder on the outside of the door to the LSSB offices no later than 5:00pm on the Friday immediately following the conclusion of the Ballot 1 elections. Late Elections Petitions shallnot be accepted.

(a) Unless otherwise stated below, all campaign rules apply to all Ballot 1 and Ballot 2 candidates.

(b) Candidates may campaign only by word-of-mouth until the “Campaign Period” begins.

(c) The Campaign Period for each ballot shall begin when the Elections Petition for that ballot is due. The Campaign Period for each Ballot shall end after a winner is declared for each position on that Ballot.

(1) Candidates may use non-University of Mississippi internet sites to campaign. Acceptable uses of the internet include but are not limited to: blogs, Facebook communication, MySpace communication, and other online social information sites. Candidates may not campaign on any webpage hosted on the Ole Miss Network, including but not limited to, student organizational web pages which have an olemiss.edu web address.

(2) Candidates may campaign via email, including Ole Miss Webmail. Except that candidates may not employ the use of University established list servs to campaign. Prohibited list servs include, but are not limited to: Blackboard, TWEN, student organizational list servs established on the OleMiss Network, and class-wide or school-wide list servs established on the Ole Miss Network. When campaigning via email, candidates should exercise discretion and due care to ensure they are not using a prohibited list serv. All questions regarding prohibited email list servs should be addressed to the Elections Commission.

(3) Candidates may use flyers to campaign, subject to the following limitations.

(iii) “Posting” a flyer shall mean attaching a flyer to some location inside or on the Law School Building.

(iv) The content of flyers may not specifically and/or personally attack any other candidate.

(v) Flyers may be distributed to other law students; however, candidates are responsible for ensuring their flyers are not used by non-candidates in violation of any portion of this Elections Code. Law students may affix flyers to their own personal property, but in no case may any law student affix a flyer to another student’s personal property without that student’s permission.

(vi) Flyers may be attached to the outside of any student’s locker in the Law School Mall provided a candidate receives the permission of the student renting the locker. There is no limit to the total number of flyers posted on lockers in the Mall, except that a candidate is limited to posting one flyer per student locker.

(vii) Candidates may place solicited or unsolicited flyers in the Student Mailboxes located in the Student Lounge. Candidates are encouraged to use discretion in the quantity of flyers placed in boxes. Candidates are responsible for their flyers and the effect they have on the appearance of the Law School; as such, any flyers discarded on the floor of the Law School by non-candidates should be collected by the candidate, as often as reasonably possible, and thrown away or reused by the candidate.

(viii) Candidates may post a total of four flyers on bulletin boards on the first floor of the law school. Except students may post flyers only on (1) the bulletin board labeled “student announcements” located in the Mall and (2) the bulletin board labeled “classified” in the Student Lounge.

(ix) Flyers may not be posted anywhere in the Law School except for the places specifically listed above in subsections v, vi, and vii.

(x) Candidates are responsible for the timely removal of all flyers from the Law School once the Campaign Period ends.

(xi) Candidates are not limited by cost, content, quality, or quantity in printing flyers, provided the flyers conform to the above rules.

(4) Candidates may not distribute any physical campaign materials on the University Campus, except for flyers as limited above. Prohibited campaign materials include, but are not limited to, stickers, candy, food, balloons, or paper which does not conform to the requirements of flyers above.

(5) Candidates are not limited in word-of-mouth campaigning on or off Campus, subject to the specific prohibitions of this Elections Code.

(6) Candidates may not (1) purchase food, (2) purchase alcohol or other beverages, or (3) host any social event for law students if such expenditures are objectively intended to solicit the support and/or vote of law students. This rule applies both on and off campus.

(7) Other campaigning activity not addressed in this Elections Code may be limited or prohibited at the discretion of the Elections Commission. The Elections Commission may issue advisory opinions in response to questions of candidates regarding campaigning rules, whether addressed in this Code or not.

(a) The LSSB shall host an “Elections Forum” on the Sunday evening immediately prior to the Ballot 1 elections or on some other evening that the LSSB Senate deems more convenient.

(b) The Elections Forum shall be open to the entire Student Body. The LSSB shall give notice of the Forum’s location, time, date, and content to the Student Body no later than one week prior to the Forum.

(c) At the Elections Forum, the LSSB shall explain any proposed LSSB Constitutional Amendments and answer any questions about them. Additionally, each candidate for LSSB President shall be given up to 10 minutes during which she can present her platform to the Student Body. Presidential candidates may take questions from students in attendance after the presentation of her platform. Additionally, the LSSB Senate and/or the Elections Commission shall have discretion to add any additional content to the Elections Forum they deem necessary.

(a) The Ballot 1 elections shall be held in the Law School Mall and begin on (1) the Last Monday in March, (2) the First Monday in April, or (3) the Second Monday in April. The determination of which option to choose shall be in the sole discretion of the Elections Commission.

(b) Ballot 1 elections shall be conducted over two days: Monday and Tuesday. If necessary, Runoff Elections shall be held on the Thursday immediately following the Tuesday of Ballot 1 elections.

(c) The Elections Commission, current LSSB officers and senators who are not candidates in the Ballot 1 elections, and any other student wishing to serve and chosen by the Elections Commission who are not candidates in the Ballot 1 elections shall serve as “Poll Workers” during the Ballot 1 elections.

(d) The Ballot 1 elections Polls shall be open from 8:30am until 4:30pm on both Monday and Tuesday, and on Thursday in the event of a Runoff.

(e) The Ballot 2 elections shall be held in the Law School Mall on the Tuesday immediately following the Tuesday of Ballot 1 elections.

(f) Ballot 2 elections shall be conducted on one day: Tuesday. In the unlikely event of a Ballot 2 Runoff, Runoff Elections shall be held on the Thursday immediately following the Tuesday of Ballot 2 elections.

(g) The Elections Commission, current LSSB officers and senators who are not candidates in the Ballot 2 elections, and any other student wishing to serve and chosen by the Elections Commission who are not candidates in the Ballot 2 elections shall serve as “Poll Workers” during the Ballot 2 elections.

(i) A voting law student must sign her name on an elections register, and a Poll Worker must mark that student off the student roster before that student may cast a ballot.

(j) While the Polls are open for a Ballot election, campaign flyers and candidates on that Ballot must remain at least 20 feet from the Polling Table, unless the candidate is approaching the Polling Table in order to cast her vote as a law student. The 20-foot boundary shall be visably marked by the Elections Commission.

(k) The Elections Commission, with the assistance of any Poll Workers selected by the Elections Commission, shall hand count the ballots twice to determine the number of votes cast for each candidate. The Ballot Box may be opened no earlier than 3:30pm on the last day for that Ballot, or on the only day of the Ballot if that Ballot has only one day for the election. Candidates may not be present during the counting of the ballots. The ballots shall be counted in the LSSB office or some other private place.

(l) The Elections Commission shall certify the results of the Elections and post the results, including the need for Runoffs, on the bulletin board outside the Student Lounge. Additionally, the results may be posted on the LSSB Website and/or emailed via a law school-wide list serv.

(m) The Elections Commission shall place the counted ballots back in the Ballot Box following the certification of elections results. The counted ballots must remain in the Ballot Box for a period of one week after the conclusion of the election.

(n) A losing candidate may demand an additional recount. Such recount will be conducted in the Student Lounge in the presence of the contesting candidate, the declared winner, the Elections Commission, at least one member of the current Honor Council, and any other law student who wishes to be present. A losing candidate must request a recount within one week after the conclusion of the election.

(o) In the event the recount requested by a contesting candidate reveals the ballots were counted and certified incorrectly and but for the error the losing candidate would not have lost, the Elections Commission must (1) declare the contesting candidate the winner or (2) hold a special election between the contesting candidate and the candidate previously declared the winner. This decision is at the discretion of the Elections Commission, but such decision may be reviewed by the Honor Council at its discretion.

VI. Violations of the Elections Code

(a) Any law student may report a violation of the Elections Code to the Elections Commission. Once reported, the Elections Commission shall inform the accused candidate of the alleged violation. The Elections Commission shall have sole discretion in determining whether an Elections Code violation has occurred.

(b) If the Elections Commission determines a violation of this Elections Code has occurred, the Elections Commission may (1) verbally inform the candidate of the violation, (2) instruct the candidate to cease or correct the violation, and/or (3) give the candidate written notice of the violation, instructing the candidate to cease or correct the violation.

(c) If the candidate continues to violate the Elections Code or if the candidate’s previous violations are intentional and gross, the Elections Commission, at its discretion, may disqualify the candidate, but only after the Elections Commission has used all three disciplinary options in subsection (b) above.

(d) Any candidate disqualified by the Elections Commission may immediately appeal this decision to the Honor Council. The Honor Council must review the decision to disqualify as soon as possible in order to ensure the elections need not be rescheduled; however, the Honor Council may conduct its review in whatever way it deems proper to ensure the prompt review of the decision to disqualify.