The Campaign Guide provides an overview of key rules, procedures, and dates for IUSG elections. While it helps candidates navigate their campaigns, it is not all-inclusive, and candidates are encouraged to consult the IUSG bylaws for additional details. The Fall 2025 Campaign Guide can be found below.
Campus-wide student government elections are held every semester, September and April. The fall general election voting period is September 22nd to September 28th! During this election, the student body will elect 20 residential congress representatives and fill any vacancies in academic congressional seats. The timeline below will be updated periodically as dates are finalized.
Sunday, August 24th: Declaration of Candidacy Available
No later than this date, the Election Director will prepare and publish on the IUSG website the official form to declare candidacy and appear on the ballot.
Wednesday, August 27th, 7:00 p.m., Located in the IMU Dogwood Room: Callout Session for Prospective Candidates
Students interested in running in the election are encouraged to attend one of these two informational sessions. Attendance is NOT required, and attendance at this event will NOT result in you being required to sign up to run.
Wednesday, September 3rd, 11:59 p.m. ET: Filing Deadline
Last day to submit a Declaration of Candidacy. A candidate or ticket who fails to meet this deadline will not appear on the ballot for this election and cannot be elected.
Beginning Thursday, September 4th: Campaigning
Campaigning is not allowed until the filing deadline has passed. After that point, candidates and tickets have until before voting ends on September 28th.
Thursday, September 4th, 7:00 p.m., on Zoom: All-Candidate Meeting
Informational meeting for all candidates who successfully filed for candidacy by the filing deadline. Every Congressional candidate must attend this meeting. In addition, no later than this meeting, the Election Director will prepare and publish on the IUSG website a suggested template for the financial statement.
https://iu.zoom.us/j/81960745475
Monday, September 15th, 11:59 p.m. ET: Candidate Bio Deadline
Deadline for a candidate or ticket to submit to the Election Director a written statement to appear alongside the candidate’s name on the ballot. The word-count maximum is 100 words for Congressional candidates.
Monday, September 15th, 11:59 p.m. ET: Candidate Withdrawal Deadline
Tuesday, September 16th: Latest Date for Candidate List to be Finalized
When a prospective candidate or ticket submits their declaration of candidacy, the Election Director has seven business days to accept or reject the declaration based on candidate eligibility and filing requirements. Once the Director has made their decision on all filed declarations, they will publicly announce the list of candidates for each race.
Wednesday, September 17th: Ballot Review
The Election Director will send each candidate or ticket a copy of the official election ballot for review. Any issues must be brought to the attention of the Director no later than September 18th.
Monday-Sunday, September 22nd at 10:00 am to September 28th at 10:00 pm: Voting
On the morning of September 22nd, every student enrolled at IU Bloomington will receive an email from the IU Division of Student Affairs that includes the link to cast their ballot on https://beinvolved.indiana.edu/. Ballots will be live for the entire week, from 10:00 a.m. ET on September 22nd to 10:00 p.m. ET on September 28th.
Monday, September 29th, 10:00 p.m. ET: Election Complaint Deadline
Wednesday, October 1st, 10:00 p.m. ET: Final Financial Statement Deadline
Every candidate is required to submit a financial statement that details all campaign donations and expenditures over the course of the election period. Failure to submit a final financial statement by this deadline will result in points against the candidate, and can quickly turn into disqualification.
September 29th: Result Announcement (Preliminary)
TBA Prior to October 6th: Student Representative Orientation (Election winners ONLY)
Prior to October 6th: Election Certification
Monday, October 6th, 7:30 p.m., Oak Room, IMU: Organizing Day, Swearing-In of Representatives (Election winners ONLY)
All candidates are required to submit a financial statement (even if it is blank and no money was spent). Statements are due after the voting period ends. The template for finacial statements is below:
After declaring your intent to run for office, the elections manager will advertise a way in which candidates can reserve tabling slots at the IMU, Kelley Arboretum, and outisde of Ballantine Hall. Any and all tabling reservations must be made through the manager. Should you wish to reserve a space beyond a table, you should email the manager at iusgelco@iu.edu.
Advisory opinions can be submitted to request clarifications about the election code. Each advisory opinion request must include a specific action or procedure and reference to a specific section or sections of the election code. The election code can be found in Title 3 of the IUSG Bylaws. Requests must be submitted via the form below. Upon issuance, all advisory opinions will be made publically available here.
