Elections

The UHD Staff Council Membership Board, a crucial part of our UHD community, is composed of elected UHD Staff members who represent the staff and are elected by their peers yearly. The board includes the Staff Council President, Staff Council President-Elect, Staff Council Secretary, Staff Council Treasurer, Staff Council Communication Officer, and Division Ambassadors. 

The Annual Staff Council (SC) Election process is managed by the Staff Council Elections Committee (SCEC) in partnership with Human Resources (HR) and the Staff Council Executive Board (SCEB). Any staff member who accepts a nomination for an elected SC position is automatically removed from assisting with process to ensure the integrity of the elections. 

Nomination Process

All benefits-eligible Staff Council members in good standing and with a minimum of 1-year tenure at UHD, except administrative staff (assistant and associate deans, deans, executive directors, assistant and associate vice presidents, vice presidents, and the University President), are eligible for Executive Board nomination.  Staff may be eligible to run for officer and ambassador positions concurrently but can only hold one office.

All nominations are reviewed by HR to ensure eligibility. Qualified nominees will be placed on the ballot for the election process, which is handled by the Staff Council Membership Board and Elections Committee.

To begin the nomination process, nominators must complete the Staff Council Membership Board Nomination Form.

Nominations  

1. On the first Monday of May through the third Monday of May, a “Call for Nominations” is sent to all UHD Staff via email by current SC President or Communications Officer. 

   • Staff Council Membership Board elected positions are as follows:

     • Executive Board
       • President-Elect
       • Secretary
       • Treasurer
       • Communications Officer
     • Division Ambassadors (10)
       • 2 from Academic Affairs
       • 2 from Student Success and Student Life
       • 2 from Administration and Finance
       • 2 from Enrollment Management
       • 1 from Human Resources
       • 1 from the President's Office and Advancement and University Relations
2. Nominators should notify nominees of their intention to nominate.  
   • Staff members are allowed to self-nominate. 
   • SCEC shall contact nominees and request of them to submit a short biography (no more than 150 words) and headshot.
3. If accepted, the nominator shall begin the Staff Council Membership Board Nomination Form via DocuSign to begin collecting approvals and signatures from the nominee, the nominee's supervisor, and HR.
4. HR shall review the nomination form to ensure eligibility for the election year. 
5. Nominees will receive a DocuSign receipt indicating why nomination was denied, if deemed ineligible.
6. Upon verified eligibility by HR, the SC President will receive a copy of all completed nomination forms indicating nominee names and proposed positions. 
7. SC President shall provide the list of nominees to the Elections Committee. 

Election Process

Elections for the Membership Board shall open the first Monday in June and close on the third Monday in June. Any persons in the nominated position  receiving the highest number of votes will attain that position. After the election, the Staff Council President will share the results with the UHD community of their incoming FY Staff Council Membership Board.

Executive Board members and Ambassadors serve for a single one-year term. President-Elect serves a two-year term: year one as President-Elect and year two as President. Terms of office shall begin on September 1. 

Elections  

1. The SCEC will develop an electronic survey (i.e. Qualtrics, CampusGroups, etc.) to serve as the official ballot for all positions.
2. SCEC shall contact nominees and request them to submit a short biography (no more than 150 words) and headshot to SCEC.
3. On the first Monday in June through the third Monday in June, a “Call to Participate” in elections are sent by the current SC president or Communications Officer to all UHD Staff that will include the Meet the Nominees information on an attached PDF. 
4. The day following the election survey closing, SCEC members will convene to review election results, and will vote to approve the results with 48 hours.
5. Election results will be sent to SC President and Communications Officer for distribution to the institution.
6. In the event of a tie, the SCEC will begin a run-off election, to be closed 72 hours after being opened, that will determine the winner.
7. SC President shall send thank you emails to all who ran for a position.