How Voting in Council Election Works

Voting opens today at noon for the Undergraduate Council presidential and vice-presidential elections.

Students can vote until noon on Thursday.

As in past years, voting will be held online at the council website, www.uc.fas.harvard.edu.

Students rank their preferences for both presidential and vice presidential candidates from first through third, rather than by ticket, so it is possible for the winners to be from different tickets.

Although students are free to vote wherever they please, it is against council rules for House Committees to place computers in dining halls for voting.

After voting closes on Thursday, the seven member Election Commission will tally the votes.

Any presidential or vice presidential candidate who has received a majority of the first place votes will be declared the winner in their race.

The commission uses a runoff system: if no candidate has received a majority of the votes in the race, the candidate with the fewest votes in that race will be eliminated.

Voters who ranked that candidate first will have their second choice candidate moved to the top of their list.

The candidate with the most first place votes afterward will then be declared the winner.

The commission will certify the results on Thursday evening, and the winners will be told in person of their victory by chair Jon D. Einkauf ’06.

The defeated candidates will be notified of their loss by phone immediately before the winners are told of their victory.