2024 UASRA Elections
UASRA ELECTION RULES AND REGULATIONS CANDIDATE RESPONSIBILITIES
1. All candidates shall be any registered tenant (18 years and older) of University South at the time of the elections and through the term following the elections.
2. Applications and candidacy statements, 200 words or fewer, must be submitted to the Election Chair no later than first week of May.
3. By submitting a candidacy statement, the Candidate agrees to abide by and accept all the rules and regulations as set out here.
4. Candidates can only apply for one position.
5. Employees of UCLA UA/S or UCLA Residential Life cannot hold a UASRA officer or Unit Representative Position.
6. Descriptions for each open position and the bylaws are listed here.
CAMPAIGNING REGULATIONS
1. All individuals/slates members are responsible for organizations/community members endorsing their candidacy. Candidates can endorse each other as individuals on social media and physical flyers.
2. The following UASRA resources shall not be used in any endorsing of candidacy: UASRA budget, UASRA office support of a printer, papers, and UASRA credentials including office position, title, etc.
3. All individuals/slates shall abide by UCLA's code of conduct in their discourse. Bullying, harassment including verbal attacks of any kind shall not be tolerated.
4. Election chair may reach out to individuals to adjust word limits on their candidacy statement before the statements are published on the website.
5. The following resources are valid to be utilized for endorsement and community outreach for exercising the democratic rights of the UASRA community members. Emails/contacts that were collected over time via community events, surveys (including the UASRA survey which has the residents’ consent on it). Messages sent from candidates should include and acknowledge the source of contact collection.
6. Candidates must submit their flyers to the Election Chair no later than April 3rd week for approval. The Election Chair and Residential Life Advisor must approve and stamp ALL campaign flyers/posters. Campaign flyers, approved by the Election Chair, will be posted to the UASRA website by the Website Editor, and candidates can print and post their approved flyers in the UAS community. Locations must be approved by ResLife and put on buildings with approved blue tape only.
7. The following requests shall not be entertained: a) post-process voluntary changes in candidacy statement, ie., after the due date of submission has passed. b) Complaints about assembly/display of flyers in community areas. Flyers need to be represented in common areas for maximal visibility, accommodations must be made in case of spaces on bulletin boards, gates, laundry rooms get difficult to access.
8. All flyers and public posts regarding the election shall be in English only.
VOTING RULES AND REGULATIONS
Each registered Tenant 18 years or older of University South Apartments is permitted one ballot. The following rules shall be followed:
1. UASRA election and voting will be online only. In the case of multiple ballots cast by one registered tenant, only the first of the tenant’s ballots will be counted. If the Office of Residential Life determines that a candidate cast a ballot under another resident’s name, the candidate will be disqualified from the election.
2. The election shall be by secret ballot of all voting UASRA members and shall be held no later than May 2nd week. All voters must fill out and submit their own ballot.
3. The nominee for each office receiving a plurality of the votes shall be declared the winner.
4. Voters can vote for only one candidate per position. If a voter votes for a unit representative that does not represent the unit they live in, or votes for multiple unit representatives, only their vote for their own unit representative will be counted. Their votes for general UASRA Officers will be counted.
5. In the event of a tie, the tie will be broken at the following General Assembly among the newly elected officers and Unit Reps by secret ballot overseen by the Residential Life Advisor and/or Election Chair.
6. The Residential Life Advisor shall retain all online ballots for thirty (30) days after the election or for thirty (30) days after all appeals have been adjudicated, whichever is later.
7. The term of office shall commence on July 1st of the year in which the election is held and shall end midnight June 30th of the following year.
VIOLATIONS AND APPEALS
1. The Chair shall consider violations of these codes upon receipt of a formal complaint by Residential Life or any complaint made within twenty-four (24) hours of the close of the election by email to the Chair or Residential Life Advisor.
2. Within two working days of receipt of such notice as mentioned in Paragraph 1 of this section, the Chair, and Residential Life Advisor shall meet to discuss the alleged violation.
3. The request for such a meeting shall be filed with the Election Chair and/or the Residential Life Advisor.
4. The Election Chair and Residential Life Adviser’s decision may be appealed to the General Assembly within three (3) working days after the decision. If such an appeal is sponsored by two-thirds (2/3) of the registered General Assembly attendees (see Article IV of the UASRA Constitution), a special meeting of the General Assembly shall be called within two working days to consider this appeal. The election ballots shall remain sealed until the UASRA reaches its decision.
5. In the event the Chair, Residential Life Advisor, or the General Assembly with a 2/3- majority vote declares the election invalid, the ballots shall be destroyed without being unsealed. If the Chair, Residential Life Advisor, or General Assembly does not declare the election invalid in accordance with this Section, the election results shall be final and binding. In the case of a candidate being disqualified through this process, the candidate with the next highest number of votes will be given the position, without declaring the entire election invalid.
6. The Chair and the Residential Life Advisor jointly have the power to impose any penalty she or he deems just and proper up to and including disqualification of the candidate subject to the appeal process above. The Chair and Residential Life Advisor must reach a consensus before imposing any penalty.
Questions, Comments, or Concerns?
Please contact uasraelectionchair@gmail.com for more information.