The Undergraduate Student Government’s election is coming up, with campaigning and balloting soon. Credit: Daniel Bush | Campus Photo Editor. Graphic: Lily Pace | Managing Editor for Campus
With the Autumn semester in full swing, students have the opportunity to participate in voting for the new student body executive board for the Undergraduate Student Government.
With the election results this past spring voided by the Office of Student Life, USG is required to hold the election from the beginning, starting with petition signatures.
Potential candidates began collecting signatures Aug. 26, and had until Sept. 5 to get the required number of signatures to run. President and vice president candidate teams need 500 signatures, senator candidates need 50 and all ballot initiatives each need 1,000, according to USG’s 2025-26 Digital Petition Guidelines.
By Sept. 10, the Judicial Panel will notify candidates if they are on the ballot and then, the USG election season begins.
On Sept. 11… Campaigning begins
After the announcement of who is officially running, candidates can campaign their slates and missions through different methods across campus. However, USG election bylaws have a handful of restrictions that candidates must follow.
In campaign materials, candidates are not allowed to mislead individuals by spreading false information about another candidate if their intent is to harm them or influence the results of the election, according to the election bylaws. Candidates are also unable to post flyers over other candidates, and all events for USG campaigns must be accessible to all students.
During the campaigning phase, no candidate is allowed to campaign in a residence hall, according to the election bylaws. Candidates and their teams are not allowed to campaign before Sept. 11, but they are allowed to make campaign materials prior to that time as long as they are not dispersed.
There is no campaigning allowed in the Keith B. Key Center for Student Leadership and Service (CSLS), even if they are invited to speak by a student organization that meets there, according to the election bylaws. No individuals, a part of the candidate team or not, are allowed to use USG resources for any campaign activity, but are permitted to use all other areas of the Ohio Union.
Campaigns also have a set budget — presidential and vice presidential campaigns are not allowed to exceed $1,300 and senatorial campaigns are not allowed to exceed $150, according to the bylaws.
Candidates are also not permitted to encourage people to join their campaign initiatives through financial gain, including gift cards and cash prizes, according to the election bylaws.
On Sept. 17… Balloting begins
All candidates that were certified by the Judicial Panel will appear on the ballot, as well as a write-in spot for presidential and vice presidential candidates, according to election bylaws.
Students will vote on candidates through the USG election portal, which can be found here. The portal will re-open on Wed. Sept 17 and students can visit the USG website or its voting page, Matt Okocha, a fourth-year in psychology and USG chief justice, confirmed in an email.
On Sept. 19… Campaigning and balloting ends
Once the ballot box closes, it is time for the Judicial Panel and USG advisor to go through all of the votes to declare the new administration.
The Judicial Panel and the USG advisors will check all of the write-in candidates and verify their accuracy, Okocha said. After they complete that task, all of the election results will be waded through and they will verify the accuracy of the ballots.
The election results will be posted to the same page that students could find the link to the ballot at, Okocha said.
“Then there’s a transition period between the old and new administrations and boom, there’s your new USG President/Vice President and Senators!” Okocha said.
To keep up to date with the USG election, visit the USG Instagram here.
