Senate Election Rules for the Academic Professional Electorate
As amended through September 20, 2021
Downloadable version of the Election Rules for the Academic Professional Electorate
- Delgation of Power
- Voting Units
- Eligibility
- General Election Provisions
- Conducting Elections
- Certification of Election Results
- Election Certification by Senate Committee
- Grievances and Appeals
- Resignations and Vacancies
1. Delegation of Power
1.1 The Senate Committee on Elections and Credentials (EC) may delegate to the Council of Academic Professionals (CAP) or Senate Clerk various duties by way of the Election Rules. In all voting units, CAP will conduct nomination and election procedures under the supervision of the Senate Clerk.
1.2 Restriction of Power. All activities of the EC and CAP shall conform to the relevant provisions of the Constitution and Bylaws adopted by the Senate. The Urbana-Champaign Senate has ultimate jurisdiction in the election of its senators.
2. Voting Units
2.1 Voting units shall be based on current CAP districts excluding the district that is comprised of the university system administration
2.2 Elections shall be held on the basis of ten voting units, each with one seat.
2.3 CAP shall consult with EC before any redistricting plans are implemented.
3. Eligibility
3.1 The Constitution, Article III, Section 1 lists the eligibility criteria for the academic professional electorate.
3.2 Process for Determining Eligibility. CAP annually requests from Illinois Human Resources a list of all academic professionals who meet the eligibility requirements. The list shall exclude any academic professionals who are on: on a visiting appointment, less than 100 percent full-time equivalent appointment (100% FTE), and/or pursing a degree. Non-degree and certificate programs shall not affect eligibility.
3.3 Split Appointments. Members of the academic professional electorate who hold appointments in more than one unit may choose the unit in which they vote. However, a member must hold an appointment of greater than zero percent in a unit in order to qualify for the academic professional electorate of that unit.
3.4 Time of Determining Status. Eligibility to vote and membership in a particular voting unit will be determined by the person's status at the time the ballot is cast.
4. General Election Provisions
4.1 All persons included in the academic professional electorate may vote and be eligible for election to the Senate, without distinction on the basis of rank or other criteria.
4.2 Current Membership in Unit. No person may be a candidate for a seat in a voting unit if not a member of that voting unit at the time of the election.
4.3 Single Seat Limitation. No person can be a candidate for more than one Senate seat.
4.4 Limited Terms. The terms of senators elected from the academic professional electorate shall be two years, with a maximum of three consecutive terms. The election of an academic professional senator in a regular election constitutes a full term unless the senator resigns prior to the organizational meeting of the Senate. A replacement senator who is elected prior to January 1 of the first year of the term of a vacant seat shall be considered to have served a full term.
4.5 Use of University Funds. No University resources shall be used for production or distribution of any campaign materials.
5. Conducting Elections
5.1 CAP is responsible for conducting the election of academic professionals to the Senate. The academic professional elections shall be completed no fewer than three weeks prior to the organizational meeting of the Senate.
5.2 Nominating Period. The nominating period shall be 7 consecutive calendar days in length. All nominations must include willingness to serve and a 150 words or fewer statement of interest and experience. Nominations must be submitted to CAP during the designated nominating period. Self-nominations are allowed.
5.3 Election Period. CAP shall prepare ballots for each voting unit with the names of all those nominated and willing to serve, along with the nominee’s title, name of the nominee’s home unit, and the statement of interest and experience. Names shall appear in random order on each ballot.
a. Automatic Election. If only one academic professional is nominated for a voting unit, an election need not be held as there is only one seat per voting unit. The sole nominee may be declared automatically elected.
b. If a nominee receives a majority of the votes cast in a voting unit, that nominee shall be deemed elected. If there are three nominees and no nominee receives a majority, the nominee receiving the highest number of votes shall be deemed elected. If the number of those nominated and willing to serve exceeds two three for any voting unit and no nominee receives a majority, a preliminary ballot shall be used to reduce the number of nominees to two for each voting unit. If a tie exists among those eligible for the last position, all the tied names shall appear on the final election ballot. On the final ballot, the nominee receiving the highest number of votes shall be deemed elected.
5.4 The election shall be held on 7 consecutive calendar days.
5.5 Ties shall be resolved by a coin flip or drawing of lots by CAP.
5.6 CAP is responsible for notifying the winning nominees as soon as possible after the certification of the election results.
6. Certification of Election Results
6.1 The Chair of CAP or the Chair’s designee shall certify the elections.
6.2 CAP shall report the winning nominees, their titles, and email addresses to the Office of the Senate via the method determined by the Senate Clerk.
7. Election Certification by Senate Committee
The EC shall certify election results to the Senate at the organizational meeting of the newly elected Senate. These results shall be entered in the minutes of that meeting. The EC may delay certification of candidates whose elections are in doubt until a resolution is determined.
8. Grievances and Appeals
Any aggrieved person may appeal a decision of CAP to the EC committee, and actions and decisions of the EC committee may be appealed to the Senate through the Senate Clerk.
9. Resignations and Vacancies
9.1 No Nominations. If no person is nominated for a Senate seat, the voting unit shall elect an eligible member of the academic professional electorate to that seat as soon as reasonably possible.
9.2 Disqualification from Electorate. If a senator fails to satisfy the requirements for membership in the electorate during their term of office, the EC committee shall determine whether the senator may remain seated.
9.3 Vacancies. Vacancies shall be filled by election of a member of the voting unit for the remainder of the vacant term in accordance with the nomination and election procedures prescribed in Article III of the Senate Constitution and these Election Rules. Vacancies shall not be filled based on the results of the previous election unless the elected academic professional member resigns prior to the beginning of the term of office as defined in Article III, Section 6 of the Constitution.
9.4 Change of Unit. If a senator changes voting units after the election, the senator will continue to represent the original unit unless the EC committee determines otherwise.