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Cornell University

Office of the Assemblies

Employee Assembly Elections (Staff)

a wintery view of the river and campus

The next Employee Assembly election will be held in Spring 2024. Voting opens on Friday, April 11th at 9:00am and ends on Monday, April 15th at 12:00pm EST. More important dates can be found on the Spring 2024 Employee Assembly Elections Calendar. Both candidates and voters are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Employee Assembly Election Rules.

Information for Candidates

Cornell employees who meet the following criteria are eligible to participate in this election. Candidates must:

  • Work full-time and part-time staff members in a non-exempt, exempt or academic non-professorial staff category;
  • Work at the Ithaca, AgriTech in Geneva or Cornell Tech campus
  • Work in the corresponding academic college/school if seeking those seats, in the corresponding staff unit if seeking those seats, or identify as a member of the corresponding affinity if seeking an "at-large" seat
  • Plan to remain so for the duration of the term of the seat being elected

Staff interested in running in the Spring 2024 Employee Assembly Election must submit an Online Candidate Registration form. Registration opens after 8:00am EST on Friday, March 1st, 2024 and closes on Friday, March 22nd, 2024 at 5:00pm EST.

  • Mandatory Candidate Information Session: Tuesday, March 26th, 2024 via Zoom (link and time to be provided)
  • Campaigning Begins: Tuesday, March 26th (immediately following the Mandatory Candidate Information Session)
  • Online Voting Begins: Thursday, April 11th at 9:00am EST
  • Voting Ends: Monday, April 15th at 12:00pm EST
  • Expense Reports and Candidate Challenge Forms Due: Monday, April 15, 2024 at 12:00pm EST (via electronic submission to the Office of the Assemblies at  assembly@cornell.edu)
  • Earliest Results Will Be Announced: Tuesday, April 16th at 12:00pm EST

All candidates must submit an Employee Assembly Candidate Expense Report/Reimbursement Form, even if they do not spend any money on their campain. Expense reports are due to the Office of the Assemblies by 12:00pm on Monday, April 15, 2024. Please submit your report via email at assembly@cornell.edu.

To Apply as a Candidate:

Each person who wishes to be a candidate in these elections must complete the following requirements by 5:00 p.m (EST) on Friday, March 22nd, 2024.

  1. Review the open seats listed below and select ONE.
    • All seats will be elected using the Ranked Choice Vote method of voting tabulation. Each seat will be elected with voters ranking candidates in order of preference; the two  “At-Large” seats will be awarded to the top two candidates in that race. You may also direct questions to assembly@cornell.edu.
  2. Review the Election Rules and Candidate Eligibility Guidelines below to ensure your eligibility.
  3. Complete the online registration form (available after 8:00 a.m. on March 1, 2024) including:
    • Name as you would like it to appear on the ballot (if different)
    • Phone number
    • Campus address
    • Seat for which you are running
    • Current employee category
    • Personal Statement (up to 1,250 characters including spaces)
    • Photo
  4. While petitions are typically required for assembly elections, they are being waived for the Spring 2024 election to create greater parity between staff who are in-person, hybrid, or remote. 
  5. Attend (or send a proxy on your behalf) the mandatory candidate information session on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 via Zoom (link to be provided).

Important notes:

  • All newly seated members will be expected to attend the Organizational Meeting of the 2024-2025 Employee Assembly on Wednesday, April 17th, 2024 immediately following the EA meeting that day (12:00 - 1:15pm).
  • If you believe a fellow candidate has altered the fairness of the election—either by violating the Employee Assembly election rules, the Campus Code of Conduct, or otherwise—you may submit an Employee Assembly Election Challenge Form. Challenge forms must be submitted to OA by Monday, April 15, 2024 at 12:00pm EST.

If you have any questions or concerns, email the Employee Assembly Elections Committee at ea-elections@cornell.edu.

Information for Voters

The following positions are up for election in Spring 2024:

(Note: Seats indicated by an asterisk (*) have been unfilled for over a year. The Employee Assembly is particularly interested in finding candidates to represent these seats.)

1-Year Term (ending in Spring 2025)

  • Financial Affairs, Budget & Planning, Audit & Investment Representative*
  • SC Johnson School of Business Representative*

2-Year Term (ending in Spring 2026)

  • Graduate School and Law School Representative*
  • School of Industrial and Labor Relations Representative*

3-Year Term (ending in Spring 2027)

  • Disability Representative At-Large
  • Library and Museum Representative
  • Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Representative At-Large
  • More than 20 Years of Service Representative At-Large
  • College of Architecture, Art & Planning Representative
  • College of Arts and Sciences Representative
  • College of Engineering/Computer Information Sciences Representative
  • International Representative At-Large
  • Health and Safety Representative At-Large*
  • Division of Human Resources Representative
  • School of Continuing Education, Summer Sessions, and eCornell Representative
  • School of Public Policy Representative*

To see past elections results, positions up for election and more, visit "View Past Elections."