Open Seats:

Seats are open on all nine of our committees (Academic Affairs, Campus Culture and Spirit, Campus Partnerships, Campus Services, Diversity and Inclusion, Philanthropy, Public Relations, Public Safety and Transportation, and Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention) and our ad hoc committee (Environmental Affairs). Read descriptions of each of our committees here.

How to Apply:

Fill out this Microsoft Form application by Sept. 14 at 11:59 p.m. Chairs of the committees who resonated with your application will then call you back for a formal interview where you may further discuss your interest in the position.

Application Timeline:

• Aug. 31 at 12:00 a.m. — Committee applications open
• Sept. 14 at 11:59 p.m. — Committee applications close
• Sept. 15 through Sept. 17 — Committee interviews take place in Buttrick Hall
• Sept. 20 — Final Committees Announced

Who Makes Up a Committee:

Each committee contains:

• A Chair/Vice Chair
• At least 1 senator
• At least 1 first-year student
• Additional members decided by the Chair
  • Sizes of committees differ and are subject to Chair and Executive decisions

Open Seats

There are 18 Senate seats:

• 3 First-Year Senators
• 3 Sophomore Senators
• 3 Junior Senators
• 3 Senior Senators
• 1 Transfer Student Senator
• 1 Arts & Science Senator
• 1 Blair Senator
• 1 Engineering Senator
• 1 Peabody Senator
• 1 Connected Computing Senator

You may only run for a constituency you belong to. First-year students may not run for an academic college seat unless there is no interest from upperclassmen.

How to Run

1. Choose your seat
Decide whether you want to represent your class, academic college, or the transfer student community. You must be a member of the constituency you are seeking to represent and may only run for one seat.

2. Submit your platform & campaign information
Submit your platform of up to 300 words explaining why voters should choose you, candidate photo, and campaign information on this AnchorLink form by Monday, September 7 at 11:59 p.m.

3. Collect signatures
To appear on the ballot, candidates must collect signatures from undergraduate students within the constituency they are seeking to represent:

• Class Senator — 30
• Transfer Senator — 10
• Arts & Science — 40
• Blair — 20
• Engineering — 25
• Peabody — 25
• Connected Computing — 25

Signatures are collected through this Microsoft Form (to be filled out by members of your constituency) and must be submitted by Wednesday, September 9 at 11:59 p.m. Candidates will receive updates every other day on their signature count until they have reached the required number of signatures.

Campaigning 101

Campaigning begins on Thursday, September 10 at 8:00 a.m. and continues until polls close on Monday, September 14 at 4:00 p.m.

Before September 10 at 8:00 a.m., candidates may collect petition signatures and create campaign materials, but may not ask for votes or distribute campaign materials.

Once campaigning begins, you can promote your platform, distribute campaign materials, and ask students for their votes. Candidates may not engage in negative campaigning or voter intimidation. The use of University-maintained listservs, mass emails to student addresses, or university-maintained GroupMe groups is prohibited.

Candidates have a $100 campaign spending limit and must follow all Elections Commission rules. See rules packet linked below for details on spending and reimbursements.

Voting

Voting takes place on Anchorlink, and the link will be shared through VSG email and social media. Polls will open on Friday, September 11 at 8:00 a.m. and close on Monday, September 14 at 4:00 p.m.

Important Dates

• Aug. 31 at 12:00 a.m. — Signature and platform forms open
• Sept. 7 at 11:59 p.m. — Platform form closes
• Sept. 9 at 11:59 p.m. — Signature form closes
• Sept. 10 at 8:00 a.m. — Campaigning period begins
• Sept. 11 at 8:00 a.m. — Polls open
• Sept. 14 at 4:00 p.m. — Campaigning ends and polls close; results released within 24 hours

Read the Senate Election Rules

Make sure you read the Senate Election Rules Packet before you begin the campaign process to ensure you understand all guidelines in place for the election process. For questions or concerns throughout the election process, please contact:

• Matthew Ye, Speaker of the Senate, at matthew.y.ye@vanderbilt.edu
• Nick Rezza, Acting Election Commissioner, at martin.d.rezza@vanderbilt.edu

Note

We strongly encourage all students running for a senator position to also complete the committee member application by September 14th at 11:59 p.m. if they would like to serve in VSG to ensure they still have a chance to be part of the organization if they lose their senate race.