Our pre-campaigning policy, like all our election policies, has always had two main goals: one, promoting a large and diverse field of candidates and two, maintaining equity - as much as possible, we want multiple qualified candidates, and we want voters to make decisions about candidates based on qualifications.
A further concern of the Committee is the matter of the “perpetual campaign.” That is, as soon as a student is elected to one office, they start running for another. By preventing pre-campaigning, student officers focus on their current position rather than a future office.
Current Concerns: Many candidates have become concerned about where the line of “campaigning” begins. Can a student, for example, have a conversation with a friend or a small group of friends about running for office? What if one of those people then communicates this news to others? Is the candidate guilty of pre-campaigning? This worry about breaking the campaign rules has caused a number of candidates an undue amount of stress as they navigate what they can and can’t say or when they should or should not discuss a potential campaign.
Proposed Solution: For our purposes, we will define the term “campaigning” as encompassing at least one of the following situations:
1. Publicizing candidacy in any way. This includes digitally via websites, social media posts, emails, texts, etc., or physical media such as chalk messages and print material.
2. Holding any meetings for campaign purposes, especially with people outside of the candidate’s State. This includes in-person and digital meetings. The NJCL Constitution contains a specific exception for students whose States nominate a candidate for national office at their State Convention (Bylaws Article V Section 1).
3. Discussing campaigning with other candidates prior to the Nominations Committee.
If a candidate engages in any of these activities prior to the Nominations Committee meeting, that candidate will be investigated as violating NJCL’s campaign rules, subject to the policy set in the NJCL Executive Board Handbook and Election Guide.
What This Means For Candidates:
1. One-on-one conversations between a potential candidate and another person, or even an intimate group of people, is okay.
2. We assume a State delegation will vote for a candidate from the State at the National Convention should they make the final ballot. Therefore, candidate discussions with people from their state are permitted.
3. If a candidate is an officer of a JCL board, they should not discuss their candidacy during official board meetings or while performing official duties.
4. If someone asks a potential candidate about running for office before the Nominations Committee meeting, we ask that they try to redirect the conversation.
Ultimately, we want students to use good judgment, becoming of a future National Officer. These explanations of campaigning and pre-campaigning serve to make elections equitable, not punitive. If a situation arises not covered above, the Committee will evaluate it on a case-by-case basis. For additional information or questions see the NJCL Campaign Corner, or contact the NJCL Parliamentarian ([email protected]) or Constitutional Advisor ([email protected]).
Clarifying Statement on Pre-Campaigning