CUSA Elections
What are the CUSA Elections?
Each year, Carleton undergraduate students elect fellow Ravens to represent them for the following academic year. The CUSA President and Councillors are elected by all students, and the Vice Presidents are elected by Council. CUSA Executives and Councillors are student leaders on campus who represent your interests and advocate for the issues that impact your student experience.
The CUSA By-Elections are happening this October!
Nominations for the upcoming by-election open September 29, 2026 at 9AM.
The by-Election is being held to fill vacant Faculty Councillor positions that remained open following the 2026 General Election.
The following positions are available:
- Special Student Representative: 1 seat
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences: 6 seats
- Faculty of Engineering and Design: 4 seats
- Faculty of Science: 6 seats
- Sprott School of Business: 2 seats
For more information, read our FAQs, DM @cusaelections, or email vpi@cusaonline.ca.
Frequently Asked Questions
For voters and candidates
Nominations for the upcoming by-election open on November 29 at 9AM and close on October 5 at 5PM.
The following positions are available:
- Special Student Councillor*: 1 seat
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences: 6 seats
- Faculty of Engineering and Design: 4 seats
- Faculty of Science: 6 seats
- Sprott School of Business: 2 seats
*Candidates for Special Student Councillor do not need to get nominations. They just need to fill out an application to be put on the ballot.
If there isn’t a vacancy for the position you’re interested in, you’ll have another opportunity to run in the 2027 General Election, when all Faculty Councillor and President positions are up for election.
CUSA Elections are held every year to elect CUSA’s Council and President.
- The CUSA General Election is CUSA’s main election every winter, where undergraduate students elect Faculty Councillors and the President for a 1-year term during the upcoming academic year.
- A CUSA By-Election is held — only when needed — at the start of the academic year to fill positions left vacant in the winter General Election.
- CUSA Vice Presidential Elections are held every winter after the General Election to appoint the Association’s Vice Presidents. Unlike the President and Councillors, Vice Presidents are elected by the incoming and outgoing CUSA Council, not by the student body at-large.
CUSA Council is the main decision-making body of the Carleton University Students’ Association.
You can think of it like a city council for Carleton’s undergraduate students—it’s made up of students elected by other students to make decisions about CUSA’s budget, policies, services, and priorities throughout the year.
Almost all undergraduate students can run!
As long as you meet the basic eligibility requirements for the position you want, such as being a fee-paying Carleton undergraduate student, you can run.
You can typically run for:
- CUSA President
- Special Students Councillor
- Faculty Councillor
- CUSA Vice Presidents
- The CUSA VPs are selected through a separate election involving incoming and outgoing Council. This takes place after the annual General Election.
The “Special Student Councillor” position represents students at Carleton registered as “Special Students”.
At Carleton, a “Special Student” is someone who is taking undergraduate courses for academic credit but is not currently enrolled in a specific faculty or formal degree program.
If you think you might qualify as a Special Student Councillor or have any questions about the position, we encourage you to reach out to vpi@cusaonline.ca.
It’s very easy! But please keep in mind there are different timelines for By-Elections, General Elections, and the Vice-President Elections.
For any election, you’ll need to:
- Download a nomination form from this website, after it’s released by the Chief Returning Officer (CRO).
- Fill it out by collecting the required number of nominations from students.**
- Submit the completed nomination form by the required deadline (set by CRO).
- Meet all eligibility requirements.
- That’s about it!
**To get on the ballot for an election, you have to get nominations from fellow Carleton students. Students running for the “Special Student Councillor” position DO NOT NEED TO OBTAIN NOMINATIONS, they just need to submit a simple application.
“Nominations” refers to the process most students need to complete to get on the ballot.
Before each election, CUSA will release a “nomination form” on this website. You’ll need to download the form and fill it out by collecting “nomination signatures” from fellow Carleton students in your faculty.
PLEASE NOTE: Students running for the “Special Student Councillor” position DO NOT need to collect nominations; they just need to fill out an application which will be released on this website.
You must submit a nomination form with the minimum number of nomination signatures (see the FAQ below on numbers required) before the posted deadline.
Only Carleton undergraduate students can nominate you. For Faculty Councillors, only students in your faculty can nominate you.
- President: 100-200 nominations
- Vice-Presidents: 30-60 nominations
- Faculty Councillor: 20–40 nominations
- Special Students Councillor: Application only, no nominations required!
These numbers represent the minimum number of nomination signatures required and the maximum number allowed.
If you’re a fee-paying undergraduate student enrolled at Carleton University during the election period, you’re eligible to vote in CUSA elections.
Depending on the election, you may vote for:
- CUSA President – one student elected to lead CUSA for a 1-year term and represent all Carleton undergraduates.
- Faculty Councillors – students who represent each faculty (such as Arts and Social Sciences, Engineering and Design, Science, etc.) on CUSA Council.
- Referendum Questions – questions that ask students to vote “Yes” or “No” on issues that affect you, such as new student services or changes to certain student fees.
The student leaders you elect make decisions that influence:
- Student services
- Campus events and programming
- CUSA’s advocacy efforts (to the University, the City of Ottawa including OC Transpo, and the Provincial and Federal governments)
- Support and funding opportunities
- How your student fees are used, and how much they increase
Voting takes just a couple of minutes and gives you a say in who makes these decisions.
Voting takes place online at the end of the campaign period via your student email (CMAIL). Each student will receive a unique link at the start of the voting period from Carleton University via their CMAIL.
Most students can complete their ballot in less than two (2) minutes.
Unlike the CUSA President and Councillors, Vice Presidents are not elected by all undergraduate students.
After the General Election, incoming and outgoing CUSA Councillors vote to appoint the Vice Presidents through a separate election.
Candidate bios, socials, platforms, and campaign information are published on this website during the campaign period.
CUSA elections are administered by an independent Chief Returning Officer (CRO), who oversees the election process, investigates complaints, and ensures elections are conducted fairly.
You can contact the CRO at cro@cusaonline.ca.
If you think a candidate has broken the election rules, you can submit a complaint to the Chief Returning Officer (CRO) through the official Elections complaint form on this website.
Complaints should be submitted within 72 hours after voting ends.
Results and Official Declarations
The 2027 By-Elections start in October of 2026.
The 2027 By-Elections start in October of 2026.
The 2027 By-Elections start in October of 2026.
The 2027 By-Elections start in October of 2026.
2026
Results and Declarations
2026 Official General Election Results
2026 Official Vice-Presidential Election Results
Official Declaration of Candidates
Complaints
General Election Complaint #1
General Election Complaint #2
General Election Complaint #3
General Election Complaint #4
General Election Complaint #5
General Election Complaint #8
General Election Complaint #9
General Election Complaint #10
General Election Complaint #11
General Election Complaint #12
General Election Complaint #13
Appeals
Decision 003
Decision 005
Decision 008
Decision 009
Decision 010
Decision 011
Decision 012
Decision 013
2025
By-Election
By-Election Candidates
2024
By-Election (VP Student Life)
General Election
Vice Presidential Elections Results
Official Declaration of 2025 Vice-Presidential Candidates
General Election Candidates
By-Election Nomination Results
2023
Vice Presidential Elections Results
General Election
By-Election
Official Declaration of 2024 Vice-Presidential Candidates
Procedures for Councillors as Candidates in Vice-Presidential Elections
General Election Candidates and Referendum Committees
Statement from the CRO – Nomination vs Campaign Period Activities
General Election Referendum Proclamation
By-Election Referendum Proclamation
By-Election Candidates and Referendum Committees
2024 General Election – Complaint #2
2024 General Election – Complaint #1
2022
Vice Presidential Elections Results
General Election
By-Election
Vice-Presidential Candidates
General Election Candidates and Referendum Committees