UMBC SGA Prove It! Election Rules 2017
Please read carefully!
The Basics
In this document, “campaigning” means advertising one's campaign through verbal, written, printed or electronic promotion.
The Students’ Rights
Students must be free to vote as they wish without being harassed, badgered, or intimidated by Prove It! teams or their supporters. Prove It! campaigns may not provide prospective voters with equipment (e.g., laptops, tablets, cell phones) on which to cast votes. Campaigns may not assist or interfere with voters in the act of voting. If a team member or supporter is aware that a student is in the act of voting, the team member or supporter may not approach within 10 feet of the voter to provide information, solicit votes, or attempt to view the voter's selections. The Election Board will disseminate information to assist students in reporting violations of this rule.
Any student may file a complaint with the Prove It! Coordinator about an alleged violation of these rules. Complaints must be filed by 48 hours after an alleged violation is discovered OR by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 5th--whichever is earliest. Complaints can be submitted by e-mailing Prove It! Coordinator Jonelle McKenzie (jonellm1@umbc.edu). Complaints must be accompanied by evidence of the alleged violation.
Campaigns/Campaigning
Prove It! teams are responsible for any actions taken on their behalf by people who could reasonably believe that they are acting with the team's approval. If the team is aware that somebody intends to violate an election rule to promote the team’s campaign, members of the team are required to intervene to try to prevent the violation.
Permissible campaign methods include: Handing out literature; making phone calls; using Facebook; putting posters, flyers, banners, etc. in any location that does not violate UMBC rules; using campaign buttons; wearing a sandwich sign; sending e-mails (but see Rule #11, below) and handing out food, pencils, etc.
Any campaign method is allowed provided it does not violate any of these rules, any law, or any UMBC policy. Even if UMBC policies are not usually enforced by campus authorities, their violation will be considered a violation of these Election Rules. For example, the UMBC Campus Posting Policy--(http://www.umbc.edu/saf/policies/Campus_Posting_Policy.html)--must be followed.
Making false statements of fact to promote or discredit a team, orally or in writing, or misleading people about the voting process, either intentionally or because the person making the statements did not take reasonable steps to verify their accuracy, is prohibited. True statements and statements of opinion or intention are welcome except when they violate UMBC rules. Infractions involving false statements about an opposing team or intentionally misleading people about the voting process will be considered especially serious violations.
Spaces Where Campaigning is NOT Allowed
No team member or representative may physically or verbally approach any individual in The Commons to advocate for a specific team. In addition, teams are prohibited from sitting at non-reserved tables with the intent to distribute information in support/opposition of Prove It! teams.
Campaigning in the residence community is restricted by Residential Life policies, which are designed to ensure a comfortable living environment for resident students. Door to door solicitation, including knocking on residents' doors, is prohibited. No posted advertising (except on a resident's door by the residents him/herself) or residential mailbox ads by Prove It! teams are permitted in the residential community. Permitted activities include having conversations and using one's own computer to send e-mails, etc.
Prohibitions on Use of UMBC Resources
The use of resources owned by SGA or any other UMBC office for campaign purposes is prohibited, except when the resources are available for public use. Campaigning or preparing campaign materials in the SGA Office is prohibited. Examples of prohibited conduct within the SGA office: Using SGA telephones to solicit votes, wearing paraphernalia supporting teams, or using supplies from a UMBC office to create advertising.
The use of any UMBC listproc, including the Student Organization listproc (stuorgs@lists.umbc.edu), by a Prove It! team is prohibited, with the following two exceptions: Any student organization may use its own, organization-specific UMBC listproc to communicate with its members regarding the organization’s Prove It! endorsements and the Prove It! coordinator may utilize listprocs to distribute information about the election.
Prove It! Coordinator Rights and Responsibilities
The Prove It! coordinator will either determine that collected evidence is insufficient to support allegations or invite the accused team(s) to present contrary evidence. The Prove It! coordinator will rule that a violation has occurred if the weight of the evidence supports this conclusion.
Violations of any of the listed rules will result in penalties, potentially including team disqualification. Disqualification is especially likely when a team has committed a violation with a high probability of affecting the outcome of the election during the period of voting. In addition, any action which appears to violate the Student Code of Conduct will be reported to the proper UMBC authorities.
The Prove It! coordinator may choose to issue statements clarifying one or more of these rules. Teams may request clarification of a rule at any time by submitting a written request to the Prove It! coordinator, Jonelle McKenzie (jonellm1@umbc.edu). The Prove It! coordinator’s clarifying statements will be made available in writing to all teams only by the Prove It! coordinator, and will be clearly identified by the heading “Official Statement Clarifying Prove It! Election Rules.” Any clarifying statement not published by the Prove It! coordinator, or not set forth in writing with the heading described in this rule, is invalid.
All official communications to and from the Prove It! coordinator will be done by email. Oral communications or social networking communications are not official.
The Prove It! coordinator will not give advance approval to any specific action by any team. If you think an action might violate a rule but are not sure . . . do not do it!
The Prove It! coordinator may amend these rules at any time. If it does, an email will be sent with the official title “Official Statement Amending Prove It! Election Rules.” If an amendment is made, the rules will be effective at the time of the email sent.