Student Government will start accepting applications for new political parties Thursday.
This is the first step toward its Fall semester election cycle. Registration opens at 9 a.m. Thursday and ends noon Aug. 30, said Erica Baker, the SG Supervisor of Elections.
An informational meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Senate Chamber. Campaigning begins when the meeting begins.
Baker said generally multiple political parties sign up, so she expects the trend to continue this semester.
“I encourage students to be active on campus and be engaged in the elections process,” Baker wrote in an email.
To qualify as a party and appear on the ballot for Fall elections, a party must have at least six potential senators, Baker said.
In addition to new parties, parties that have existed in the past must also re-register.
Dakota Stanford, spokesperson for the Impact Party, which was first created Fall 2015, confirmed his party will be registering again, but said he couldn’t comment further because he didn’t want to break campaigning rules.
Anyone interested in additional details about party registration can visit the SG website and read the 700 codes under the “elections” tab.
Important Dates in the Fall 2017 SG Election Cycle
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Thursday at 9 a.m.: Political parties can begin registering
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Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.: Informational meeting in the Reitz Union Senate Chamber. Campaigning officially begins.
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Aug. 30 at noon: Deadline for political party registration
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Aug. 31 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Qualifying and interviews to run with parties begin in the third floor of the Reitz Union.
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Sept. 1 and Sept. 5 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Qualifying and interviews continue.
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Sept. 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.: Elections begin throughout campus.
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Sept 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.: Final day of elections throughout campus, results released that night.
