LLS Staff Senate Nominations & Elections
Candidates for Staff Senate are identified and vetted by a three-member Nominations Committee, which the Governance Committee appoints each spring. Staff do not nominate themselves or one another. Instead, the Nominations Committee reaches out to qualified staff to gauge their interest. The committee must put forward at least one candidate from each of the five areas of the law school, and at least six candidates in total. There is no maximum number of candidates. All LLS staff may vote in the election.
To be eligible, staff must have completed one full year of employment at LLS as a regular, permanent employee, be full-time, and be in good standing. They must stay in good standing throughout their term. Members of HR, Deans, and Associate Deans are not eligible. Each nominee must sign an acceptance form that includes written approval from their supervisor. Only nominees who have been selected by the Nominations Committee and have submitted a signed acceptance form will appear on the ballot.
Timeline
- By April 1: The Governance Committee appoints the Nominations Committee and requests a list of eligible employees from HR.
- By June 1: The Nominations Committee submits its slate of candidates and signed acceptance forms to the Governance Committee.
- By July 1: The Governance Committee conducts the election in coordination with HR. Voting is anonymous and online, and the candidates with the most votes fill the available seats. A tie is settled by a run-off between the tied candidates.
Senators serve a two-year term and may be reelected for one successive term. After two consecutive terms (four years), a senator must wait at least one election cycle (one year) before being nominated again.
Terms begin at the first August Senate meeting following the summer election and end on the day before the August meeting in the senator's second year.