Contact Information
The executive board of the BEC can be contacted by e-mail at any time at the following
addresses:
Justin Mohn, Chairman: jamd4b@mizzou.edu
Ryan Senciboy, Vice-Chairman: rws9r6@mizzou.edu
Erin Moran, Vice-Chairman: emmrz9@mizzou.edu
Or the BEC in general at:
bec@missouri.edu
We will try to respond in a timely manner, but please be patient with us. In addition, the
BEC will hold office hours at the following times:
Justin Mohn- M: 11-2, T: 11-12, W: 11-1
Ryan Senciboy- TBA
Erin Moran- MW 1-2 and T 12-4
Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions, as we are more than happy to answer them.
Meetings
The BEC will schedule one introductory meeting with each slate immediately after they
have filed, and a second meeting with all slates will be scheduled mid-way through the
election.
Summary of Forms & Due Dates
The following are the election forms that slates must file every Monday, with the
exception of 4, 8, 8a and 9a, for the previous week as soon as the slate files for candidacy
in the election. A copy of each form will be provided with this handbook, and future
copies are the responsibility of the candidate.
Election Form 1- Description of Depository/Banking
Election Form 2- Sources of Income
Election Form 3- List of Expenditures
Election Form 4- Final Financial Report
Election Form 5- Report of Campaign Material
Election Form 6- Election Business Compliance
Election Form 7- Acknowledgement of Sponsorship
Election Form 8- Candidate Eligibility and Handbook Receipt
Election Form 8a- Nominating Petition
Election Form 9- Campaign Workers List
Election Form 9a- Campaign Manager Choice
Election Form 10- Posting of Campaign Materials
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All financial forms must be filed with a copy of checks written to or against a slate’s
account as well as copies of any business receipts.
Campaigning
Please remember that this handbook does not include all by-laws on campaigning. You
are required to follow MSA by-laws as well. Please note that the M-Book as well as all
relevant civil statutes also binds all campaigns.
Campaigning by slates may begin the first day of classes fall semester (though the slate is
not a legitimate candidate until they have filed the necessary forms with the BEC).
Campaign Materials
Candidates cannot campaign within 50 feet of a polling location. Polling locations
include all campus IATS computer labs between 6pm Monday November 10th and 6pm
Wednesday November 12th.
To campaign will be defined as to work in an organized and active way towards a
particular goal.
All campaign material must be registered on Monday with the BEC in Form 5. A slate
may post material at their discretion, but that material must be registered on the following
week’s form. If a slate commits an infraction (as outlined later in this handbook) in
materials that have been posted prior to registration with the BEC this will be treated as a
campaign violation.
Websites
Websites may become public as early as the first day of the semester of the election. A
candidate’s websites must be registered with the BEC the week following their launch
and content changes to the website must be noted to the BEC the week following said
changes.
Social Networking Sites
Social sites include but are not limited to Facebook, Myspace, Xanga, blogs, etc.
A candidate’s social networking profile will be NOT be considered campaign material in
the respect that it must be registered. However, if said profile contains slander or libel
against another candidate it is subject to campaign regulations.
Similarly, a candidate’s blog is not considered to be campaign material UNLESS the
blog’s specific purpose is campaigning. However, if a blog contains slander or libel
against another candidate it is subject to campaign regulations.
A candidate IS directly responsible for items that are primarily for campaigning and that
the candidate has editing control of. This would include, but not be limited to, Facebook
groups of the candidate’s creation, a “fan” Facebook application created by the slate or
candidate, etc. Items of this type WILL BE considered campaign materials and must be
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registered. These types of materials cannot be posted prior the first day classes of the
semester of the election.
Candidates will not be held responsible for items posted by other parties, but must
remove such postings within 8 hours of notification that the posting in question exists.
Failure to do so will result in said posting being attributed to the candidate or slate.
Only groups that the candidate has editorial control over will be considered the
responsibility of the candidate.
Campaign Videos
These include but are not limited to videos posted on Google Video, Youtube,
Ebaumsworld, etc.
Campaign videos may not be posted on these sights prior to the start of campaigning
(which is defined earlier in the handbook).
Campaign videos must be registered with the BEC as with all campaign materials.
Campaign videos containing slander, libel, or profanity will be subject to the same
penalties as other campaign materials.
Residence Halls
At the request of Residential Life, all campaign materials in residence halls must be
approved and go through the Residential Academic Programs (RAP) office in Lower
Pershing.
Individuals in residence halls have the right to place anything within reasonable limits on
their doors (unless specific residence hall policies have further restrictions, e.g. the new
Virginia Avenue residence halls). Thus, if your supporters choose to place a poster
supporting your campaign on their door or in their window, they may do so. At no time,
however, can you place a poster on an occupant’s door without the occupant’s permission
and consent. Do not abuse this policy.
Residential Life has a very strict policy concerning campaigning (and soliciting
signatures for nominating petitions) in the Residence Halls and in the Dining Halls.
Essentially, it is not permitted. If you have any concerns that something you are planning
might violate this policy, we suggest that you check with Residential Life prior to
beginning such activity.
Additionally, requests by individual candidates or slates to attend FIG pro-seminars will
not be honored. Similar requests by individual candidates or slates to attend floor/house
meetings and staff meetings are also discouraged. The preference is an open forum or
debate format in which all slates/candidates are invited to participate. Individual
candidates are encouraged to contact the hall/area government or council, or the
Residence Halls Association (RHA) to suggest this format. RHA usually conducts their
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first meeting in mid-September. Contact the Student Services Advisor (SSA) in the RAP
office for more info on RHA. Questions may also be directed to a Residence Hall
Coordinator regarding individual hall/area councils.
Mailers and Flyers
Each slate will be allowed one (1) postcard size mailer during the election to be
distributed in the Residence Hall mailboxes. In addition to receiving BEC approval,
approval must also come from Kathy Murray though the Center for Student Involvement.
After receiving approval and labels, each slate is responsible for counting and delivering
their own flyers. Remember to allow time for each person involved in the process.
Additionally, please remember that providing all necessary copies is an expense for your
slate and does count against your campaign finances
Campus Buildings
It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to contact the building managers on campus to get
permission to place posters or banners on buildings. In an effort to simplify the process
the rules for several common buildings are listed. The Building Permission form is not
needed for these locations and nothing more will be approved:
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Brady Commons & Memorial Union
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Unless otherwise notified by the BEC, besides public bulletin boards, no
other posting will be allowed in the Unions.
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Student Recreation Center
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Unless otherwise notified by the BEC, besides public bulletin boards, no
other posting will be allowed in the Unions.
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Cornell
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Nothing except public bulletin boards
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Library
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As personal campaigning would be detrimental to the library atmosphere
and no postings are permitted inside Ellis or any other Mizzou library, these locations are
strictly off-limits to all slates. Additionally please remember that all libraries are
considered polling locations.
If you wish to post campaign material in a location other than the bulletin boards in a
building, you must contact the building manager for permission. This permission must be
documented on the Building Permissions form (Form 10) and submitted to the BEC prior
to campaign materials being posted in said areas.
In addition to flyers, “chalking” the chalk/dry erase boards as well as mass flyer
distribution in a classroom must specifically be approved on the Building Permissions
form.
As per the M-Book, as long as you are only posting on designated bulletin boards, you do
not have to fill out the Building Permissions form. If you wish to post anywhere else in a
building, you must get the permission of the building manager. Please ask a BEC Exec if
this is in anyway unclear.
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The guidelines laid out in the M-Book still govern the placement of campaign material in
open spaces. Please pay special attention to page 50 of the M-Book.
MSA Offices, Equipment, & Resources
Offices, equipment, etc. of the Missouri Students Association are for official use and may
not be used for campaigning. Some examples of what this rule prohibits are listed below.
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Storage of materials.
The use of MSA equipment to access/make campaign e-mails, phone calls, etc.
The use of MSA supplies or other resources such as letterhead or mailing lists.
Debates & Open Forums
The BEC will host at least 1 official debate during the campaign period and a “meet and
greet” opportunity. Other groups will likely host candidate open forums.
Date advertisement
The BEC will make available for each slate 50 official BEC flyers which advertise the
date, time, and website link for voting. This is to benefit both the slates and the BEC.
Using these flyers in addition to your own will allow more space on your flyer for simply
your name or other information and we simply do not have the same manpower that
slates typically have for advertisement. However please note that these flyers must be
used only as presented and may not be in anyway altered. Also, BEC along with DSC
will be sending out a mass student email no later than November 10.
Infractions and Penalties
Moderate InfractionsModerate fines will be levied on a three-strike system where the third strike against a
slate disqualifies them from candidacy in the election. Moderate infractions fall into two
categories, negligent and intentional.
Negligent infractions are:
 Habitually late forms (2 weeks consecutively).
 Mistaken form information.
 Failure to register campaign materials.
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Intentional infractions are:
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Using MSA offices, equipment, and resources for campaigning.
Falsification of official BEC documents and forms.
Destruction, removal, or obstruction of opponents campaign materials
o Covering an entire bulletin board will be deemed obstruction.
Campaigning before the start date of the election.
Sending mass e-mails using University accounts.
Violations of Residential Life policies and the M-book.
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Intentional infractions carry additional penalties to prevent repeat offenses.
The first violation will carry a $50 fine.
The second violation will result in a campaign losing the privilege of
campaigning for one week.
The third violation will result in the expulsion from the election, as with
negligent fines.
All fines must be paid directly to the BEC within 5 academic days of official notification
from the BEC, or in the case of an appeal, 5 academic days of the Student Court decision.
Slates are expected to pay all fines even if the slate is no longer running a campaign.
Major InfractionsSlander, libel, and profanity will not be tolerated in campaigning or campaign materials.
Any slates including these aspects in their materials will be unconditionally and
immediately dismissed from the election.
BEC Case Guidelines
Generally,
The BEC will act as a prosecutor in cases involving violations of election law where the
BEC is not the group being complained of.
Agreements
The BEC, with the consent of the Court, has the ability to offer sanction agreements
between slates and the BEC. However, these agreements must be submitted to the Court
for approval via e-mail to MSACourt@missouri.edu. The BEC is not required to offer
agreements of any kind.
Procedures for BEC initiated cases before the Court
1. The BEC must inform a slate or other individual or group of individuals if they
are bringing a case to the court the Friday before the date of the hearing via MU
email with read and delivery receipts.
2. The BEC must contact the Court Clerk at MSACourt@missouri.edu to confirm
a hearing time. Special permission of Court is required if more than two hearings
are to be scheduled for any Friday. Permission may be granted by the Chief
Justice and is entirely up to that Justice. The BEC may request permission by
email to the Chief Justice.
3. Both parties must submit, via email to MSACourt@missouri.edu, written briefs
48 hours before the case or as otherwise requested by the Court.
a. Written briefs must include the parties’ name, the alleged violation, the
section of the bylaws/constitution/BEC handbook/other guidelines that
states this is a violation or not a violation, supporting evidence, and list of
witnesses if any.
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4. Per Chapter 5 of the MSA bylaws, the Court may hear oral arguments.
a. If the court hears oral arguments, times for each party will go as
follows: opening statement max. 5 minutes, Q&A period from the court
max. 10 min, closing statement max. 2 minutes.
5. If one party is not present for a hearing or does not submit a brief, the court can
decide the case without that party’s presence.
6. Cases that deal with lawsuits against the BEC will follow previously set
guidelines for MSA related cases. A copy of these procedures is available in the
student court office.
7. All official communications from the MSA Student Court will be conducted
via University email.
If the court decides not to hear the case, the ruling of the BEC stands.
The BEC write an agreement stating the offenses and fines. The slate then can accept or
reject. If the slate accepts, we submit the signed agreement to the courts notifying them
of the fine and the slate must pay within 5 days. If the slate does not accept, we notify
the court and the process for a case begins.
Recap
1) Slates and candidates cannot start raising or spending money until the start of the
election, which is the first day of classes of the semester of the election.
2) Slates and candidates must turn in all forms the week following your filing for
candidacy.
3) Forms for the previous week are due every Monday.
4) Slates and candidates cannot begin campaigning before the first day of classes of
the semester of the election.
5) The BEC requires registration, but not prior approval, of all campaign materials.
That being said, slates and candidates will be held accountable for content in the
manner described in the handbook.
6) Signatures are due October 13th at 4pm. The BEC will be checking the signatures
for duplicates, so it is in the best interest of a slate or candidate to get more
signatures than necessary.
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