Definition of Certification

A result of an election or portion thereof shall be certified upon the approval of a recommendation of certification by the Senate. Certifications may not be rescinded or reconsidered.

1. The recommendation shall take the form of a resolution submitted by the Commission specifying the appropriate office, Special Fee request, or ballot measure; the number of votes cast for the appropriate candidate or slate, or the number of votes cast in favor of and in opposition to the appropriate Special Fee request of ballot measure; the requirements for certification of this result as specified in the Constitution and these By-Laws; and any other information deemed appropriate by the Commission.

2. An election result may only be certified on the basis of the results of the appropriate validated election.

3. An election result may only be certified at the first regular meeting of the Senate after the election upon which the certification is based has been validated. However, for special elections, an election result may be certified at the same Senate meeting at which the election was validated, provided that there are no charges pending against any candidate, slate, or sponsor.

4. No candidate, slate, Special Fee request, or ballot measure may be certified if the Senate has approved an appropriate resolution of disqualification.

5. Resolution of Conflicts
   1. A conflict shall exist when two or more ballot measures contain sections which, if they were certified, could not be implemented.

   2. The Senate shall divide the ballot measures in question by section, and shall then certify all sections which do not conflict before any conflict is resolved.

   3. A conflict between a Constitutional amendment and a referendum shall be resolved in favor of the Constitutional amendment, which shall then be certified.

   4. From each set of sections remaining in conflict the one whose ballot measure secured the highest percentage of votes shall be certified.

6. Resolution of Ties
   1. A tie shall exist when the Senate is unable to certify the appropriate election result(s) required to fill all offices.

   2. The Senate shall certify all election results which do not involve ties before any tie is resolved.

   3. Each candidate or slate involved in a tie shall be allowed to speak and answer questions before the Senate.

   4. The Senate shall vote, by secret ballot, on each tied issue, the result resolving the tie.

7. No officer shall take office, no Special Fee shall be authorized for collection, and no ballot measure shall take effect unless and until the appropriate election result has been certified.

8. No Special Fee request or ballot measure shall be certified unless it appeared on the ballot. No Special Fee request or ballot measure shall be certified unless the detailed budget and summary of actual expenditures presented by the student organization requesting the Special Fee, or an approved summary thereof (for Special Fees), or text of a ballot measure and its estimated fiscal impact (for ballot measures), was included in the Elections Handbook or published in the Stanford Daily before the first day of voting.

9. No member of the Association shall be certified as having been elected to both the Senate and the Council of Presidents.

10. The Commission shall verify the eligibility of each candidate and slate, and of each Special Fee request and ballot measure and their associated sponsors, before submitting a resolution of certification to the Senate.