The Harvard Undergraduate Council Election Commission was established under the Harvard Undergraduate Council Constitution, which took effect in 1982, and was recently terminated via a vote on a binding referendum in 2022. When in effect, the Commission was composed of 5 members -- 1 chair, and 4 commissioners. The chair was selected through an application and interview process, and ultimately confirmed by the executive board of the Council. The remaining four commissioners were also selected through an application and interview process, conducted by the Chair of the Commission. There were not any set qualifications or prerequisites required for the chair position nor the commissioner positions, with the exception that an individual could not serve on both the Council and the Commission simultaneously. As a result, the 2021-2022 UC Election Commission was composed of two individuals from the class of 2025, two from the class of 2024, and myself (class of 2022), with a total of 0 combined years of experience serving on the UC Election Commission. It is interesting to note that no former commissioners applied to remain on the Commission, and the former chair was a first-year who served during the virtual year, meaning much of the institutional memory surrounding in-person elections was lost.

The role of the Election Commission is to be a neutral body that oversees the logistical side of elections to ensure students are informed about when elections are taking place, and have the ability to vote in the elections that they are eligible for. Typically, the Election Commission holds three elections during an academic year. In the fall, soon after arrival back on campus, the General Election for first year representatives and house representatives takes place. Next, prior to winter break, the Presidential Election occurs, and lastly, soon after returning to campus for the second semester, there is a midterm election. If any resignations occur between the midterm elections and the start of spring break, a special election may be held to fill the vacancy. During the Presidential Election, and one of the elections during the second semester, referendum questions may be added to the ballot as well, so long as certain procedures outlined in the constitution are followed. Likewise a recall election to remove a candidate from office may also take place if a petition signature threshold is reached. Throughout the 2021-2022 academic year, the election commission held an election in each of the above categories (excluding special election). Based upon the institutional memory we had, it seemed as though the recall election was unprecedented, and putting out a ballot solely composed of referendum questions had not been done in many years.

The combination of the unprecedented elections and lack of institutional memory was the perfect storm to reveal many of the flaws within the structure and organization of the Commission. From passing and enforcing new rules, to being caught in the middle of a great deal of mud-slinging, to being unable to act (or getting admin involved) at times due to a lack of autonomy as a result of the Council’s constitution being the umbrella, the Commission was tested with maintaining the integrity of its role. Nonetheless, we persisted, facilitated an election that saw some of the highest voter turnout in recent history, and learned a lot from the experience.

As mentioned at the beginning of this Story of Us, the Undergraduate Council Election Commission no longer exists as of March 31, 2022. In November, the student body elected a presidential ticket that ran on the platform to dissolve the UC. Thus, upon assuming office in January, the ticket got to work fulfilling their promise to the people. The binding referendum question that boosted voter turnout to 57% (nearly double the turnout of a typical election cycle) and passed with a ⅔ majority read: “Should the Undergraduate Council be dissolved and replaced by the Harvard Undergraduate Association (according to the constitution at http://bit.ly/huaconstitution)?" 

With the dissolution of the Undergraduate Council came the dissolution of the Undergraduate Council Election Commission as well. It has since been replaced by the Harvard Undergraduate Association Election Commission, who just completed their first election cycle on April 30, 2022. Via taking into consideration feedback I received from candidates and voters during my tenure, as well as holding a focus group with the 2021-2022 Commission, conducting interviews with members of the Undergraduate Council as well as a professional from the Dean of Students Office, and analyzing the public documents produced by and about the HUA Election Commission, I bestow upon readers a set of recommendations for structuring and organizing a student government election commission. The undergraduate student government at Harvard is meant to serve all members of the College, providing them with a representative body who can advocate to admin, faculty, and other students on their behalf, organize programming that is beneficial to all, and provide financial support to organizations in need. The election commission exists to ensure a fair process of electing these figures into office. Therefore, it is critical to pass along a framework, which will set future iterations of a commission up for success.