SMUSA Election Period Information

Written by Neema Mazonge

@neemamazonge

Photo by @smusahfx on Instagram

Have you been wondering about what goes on during the SMUSA election period? How to go about voting and what dates different events occur? Look no further, The SMUSA 2020 election process has already kicked off and you will want to stay informed to know how to use your vote to better your Saint Mary’s University experience through your vote. The 2020 SMUSA election will take place on February 12-13, 2020 and you will vote to elect the next SMUSA President and Board of Directors. SMUSA introduced their new election 2020 page on Facebook which will be your resource for up to date information regarding the upcoming election.

The official election schedule began on November 13th and will end on February 20th. The first activity to kick off this season is the candidate nomination, which will occur from January 13th to January 23rd. Students wishing to be approved as candidates will complete their nomination forms during this time, which requires potential candidates to request signatures from their peers. Presidential candidates must receive 150 signatures and Board candidates must receive 50 signatures each. During this period, candidates are not allowed to campaign.

The candidates whose nominations have been approved will then be trained to ensure they understand the role they are running for, as well as the election rules and regulations. Training will run on January 24th, 27th and 28th. Pre- Election campaigns will take place from January 23rd to January 31st; -during this process candidates will be announced, and the election will be promoted. Candidates cannot campaign at this time. The official campaigning period begins on February 3rd and runs until February 11th; - during this period candidates will campaign on campus and there will be a presidential debate and a Board of Directors forum.

The voting period which runs from February12th to February 13th, will then be held and students will be able to vote for their preferred candidates. All Saint Mary’s University students can vote regardless of age as long as they are registered students.  Results will be announced on Thursday February 13th at the election results party.

More information about how the voting process works will be provided by SMUSA at a later date. Keep an eye out by following the official SMUSA 2020 elections page on or reach out by email @ELECTIONS.SMUSA@SMU.CA