SSG ELECTION 2014 GUIDELINES

The following set of

guidelines will be used in connection with the conduct of the Elections for

Supreme Student Government for SY 2014-2015

I.            

The SSG COMELEC AND THE SSG ADVISER

a.    The Commission  on  Elections, herein  referred  to as  the  SSG COMELEC,  shall  be established within forty-five (45) daysbefore the day of election.

b.    The  SSG  COMELEC shall  be  the only  agency  that will  manage  the electoral  process, including thecampaign.

c.    The  SSG COMELEC  shall be  compose  of eleven (11)  members  represented by  each year level  who  do not  have vested interest in  the  election, or  in  any way related  to  any of  the candidates, and who shall select a chairperson among themselves.

d.     The SSG COMELEC shall have the following duties and

responsibilities:

e.    Conduct fair, honest and systematic elections;

ii.    Formulate an Election Code or modify an existing Election Code if necessary subject to the approval of the School Head;

iii.    Validate the electoral proceedings and result;

iv.    Accept or revoke candidacy;

v.    Proclaim the new set of officers;

vi.    Keep all pertinent election papers/documents;

vii.    Decide upon protest relative to the conduct and result of the elections;

viii.    Prepare  and  distribute the  necessary  election  paraphernalia, certificate  of  candidacy forms and other election relatedmaterials before, during, and after the election; and,

ix.    Disqualify  candidateswho  have violated  any  of the  guidelines,  which have  been promulgated.

f.    Fromamong the members of the SSG COMELEC, excluding the SSG COMELEC Chairperson, four (4) SSG Boards of Election Tellers (BET) will be formed composed of 2 members each. A BET will be in-charge of the voting precinct exclusive for a year level.

g.    Themembers of the SSG COMELEC who are not assigned as BET members shall comprisethe SSG COMELEC Board of Canvassers (BOC). The BOC shall be headed by the SSGCOMELEC Chairperson. The BOC will be responsible for the canvassing of votestallied by the four BET. Likewise, the BOC will make the proclamation of the elected SSG officers.

h.      The SSG COMELEC shall submit a comprehensive report on the conduct of the elections within 5 days after the conclusion of the elections.

i.      The SSG Adviser must be at all times present in the SSG COMELEC meetings.

j.    The SSG Adviser must provide sound advice to the SSG COMELEC before passing a judgement or resolution on a case without curtailing the rights of the SSG COMELEC members individually or as a collegial body.

II.          

The Candidates and Parties

a.    Candidates for all SSG elective positions must:

i.    be bona fide students of Manila Science High School;

ii.    be of good academic standing with a general average of 85 and

above without any failing grade during the 1st  to 3rd grading period of the

current school year;

iii.    be of good moral character; and,

iv.    have not been subjected to any disciplinary sanction.

b.    Candidates

i.    Duly accomplished Application Form available at the SSG COMELEC Secretariat;

iv.     Parents permit stating that they are allowing the candidate to take part in the election processes.

c.    All official candidates will be required to attend an orientation meeting on

February 11-12, 2014 at 1 PM in the Library to be conducted by the SSG COMELEC. In the said meeting a covenant for peaceful, orderly and honest elections will be signed by all candidates and members of SSG COMELEC.

d.    All official candidates are entitled to a copy of this 2013 SUPREME  STUDENT GOVERNMENT ELECTION GUIDELINES

e.    Candidates

for president and vice president will be invited to a debate. The debate, which

will be held on February 14, 2014, will be organized by the editorial staff form The Chronicle and Ang Kronika .The debate format, composition of panel of interrogators, and possible questions to be asked in the debate prepared are prepared by the media

f.     If a candidate decides not to continue with his/her candidacy, he/she may be

substituted by a qualified candidate nominated by his/her party not later than February 11, 2014.

g.    Only two dominant parties will be recognized by the SSG COMELEC. Their dominancewill be based on the following:

i.    Completeness of election ticket;

ii.    Ability to wage a school-wide campaign; and

iii.    Performance in the previous election.

h.    Candidates who do not belong to the dominant parties will be considered independent

candidates. The dominant parties are entitled to a maximum of ten (10) poll

watchers, including the campaign manager. The poll watchers will be allowed to observe the conduct of the elections and the counting of votes.

i.      Only the dominant parties are entitled to a copy of Election Returns from the BET and Election Results duly authenticated by the SSG BOC.

III.         

The Campaign

a.    The Campaign period will start on February 14, 2011 and will end on February 19, 2014.

b.    Constructive campaigning shall be strictly observed. Negative campaigning will be referred

by the SSG COMELEC to the Guidance and Counselling Centerfor appropriate action.

d.    Parents, teachers, non-teaching personnel and members of the alumni are strictly prohibited to campaign for or against any candidate.

e.    The SSG COMELEC shall establish five common poster boards to be located at the

following areas:

i.    In front of Bordner lobby

ii.    In front of the school canteen

iii.    In front of the Main building

f.     All posters must not be more than 8½ by 11½, reviewed and approved by the SSG COMELEC. Use of tarpaulin as campaign material and campaign flyers are banned.

g.    Use of other campaign materials such as pins, hats, nameplates, etc is subject to approval by the SSG COMELEC. Use of sample ballots is strictly prohibited.

IV.        

The Voters

a.    For this election, all bona fide students Vicente P. Trinidad National High School will be allowed to vote.

b.    In the succeeding elections, students with disciplinary or behavioural offense such as absenteeism, tardiness, disrespectfulness, dishonesty etc. will be banned from participating in the SSG elections.

V.         

The Voting Procedures

A.       Voting shall start at 7:00 AM of February 17,, 2014 and shall end at 3:00 PM of the same day.

b.    Votersmay be allowed to vote only during any of the following time:

i.    during free time;

ii.    lunch break; or

iii.    Social Studies or Values or MAPEH period.

e.    Before allowing the first voter to cast his/her ballot, let the watchers inspect the

ballot box. Inside box should be free from any object.

VI.        

The Counting Procedures

a.    Immediately after the close of the voting, the four BET will tally the votes in their respective precincts.

b.    Before tallying, the members of the BET should see to it that the poll watchers are present to observe the entire proceedings, tally board is ready and displayed for public viewing, and counting paraphernalia are prepared.

c.    Once the counting starts, it should not be halted until the last ballot is counted.

d.    The members of the BET will open the ballot box and count the ballots to determine if the number is equal to the number of actual number of voters.

e.    The ballots will be arranged in piles of fifty (50) ballots and hold together by rubber band.

f.     One of the members of the BET will read the content of the ballot while the second member records the votes in the tally board. The watchers and the public must be given an unimpeded view of the ballot being read and the tally board.

h.    The SSG COMELEC should preserve the physical appearance of all the counted ballots for at least one school year. They should not be altered, torn, burned, watered or lost.

i.      After tallying all the ballots, the BET will accomplish the Election Return Form which will be the basis in the canvassing of votes by the BOC.

l.      The total votes in words and in numeral will be recorded for each candidate.

VII.       

The Proclamation of Winners

a.    In the presence of all the members of the SSG COMELEC, the SSG COMELEC Chairperson

will proclaim the candidates with the highest votes in their respective positions as the winners and duly elected 2014-2015 SSG Officers.

b.    The SSG COMELEC will provide each newly elected SSG officers a certificate of proclamation.

VIII.       The Election Protest

a.    An election may be contested if an alleged act may have caused the vote to show a result different from the one that would have resulted.

b.    The burden is upon the complainant to prove the allegation.

 c.    If a candidate wishes to contest the election, he/she must do so in writing withintwenty-four (24) hours after the proclamation of winners. The protest should detail the reasons for contesting the results. If available, sworn statements

of witnesses will be required as attachments to the complaint.

d.    The

SSG COMELEC, sitting en banc, must deliberate and decide on the complaint

within seventy-two (72) hours after the receipt of the complaint.