Cougar Link Elections

Elections

Through Cougar Link, Kean University and its recognized student groups and organizations have ability to hold an unlimited number of elections online for free. Elections can be held university-wide (all students vote) or organizationally (only members vote).

Voting in Cougar Link

Voting in elections hosted on Cougar Link is easy, just follow the steps below to cast your vote.

1. Navigate to Cougar Link, http://kean.collegiatelink.net, in your web browser.
2. Log into Cougar Link using your KeanGOOGLE username (without the "@kean.edu") and password. If you are logging in for the first time you will be asked to activate your account and setup your profile. Please click here for instructions on activating your account.
3. Depending on how your election is conducted, there are two different ways to access your ballot. Please Note: The ballot will not be visible until the election has begun and will be removed automatically when the election ends.
   
   1. University-wide Student Elections: For all university-wide Student Elections, a banner notice, located within a yellow box, will be displayed on the Cougar Link homepage above the event flyer board in the center of the page. The banner notice states the name of the election and when the polls close. A "Vote Now" link will appear within the banner notice.
   2. Organization Only Student Elections: For all organization only student elections, a banner notice, located within a yellow box, will be displayed on the organization's profile homepage within Cougar Link above the "About Us" section of the organization's profile. The banner notice states the name of the election and when the polls close. A "Vote Now" link will appear within the banner notice.
4. Once you have navigated to the election ballot, the initial page of the election ballot is voting instructions. These instructions explain how to select the desired candidates and then cast your vote successfully. The instructions will also provide contact information for voter support information. When the instructions have been read, you must click "Next" to proceed to the ballot.
5. Based on your eligibility settings you will be directed to the ballot for the election that you are eligible to participate in. You may select the candidates that you would like to vote for.
6. Some candidates name's may have a lowercase letter "i" in a light blue box next to their name. This icon means that more information is available. If the candidate has supplied a candidate picture and/or short biography, this more information icon will be displayed and when clicked, the candidates picture and/or short biography will be displayed. By clicking the red "x" on the top right of the more information screen, the information box will be closed and the full ballot will be displayed.
7. Upon selecting the desired candidates, you must click "Next" to proceed.
8. Based on your eligibility settings you may be directed to an additional ballot with more candidates to select for other elections that you are eligible to participate in. You may select the candidates that you would like to vote for and proceed by clicking "Next". If you are eligible to vote in additional elections, those ballots will continuously be displayed until you have been given the opportunity to cast all of your votes for all of the elections that you are eligible to participate in.
9. Once you have viewed all of the election ballots and made your selections, you will be directed to a "Review Submission" page. This page gives you the opportunity to review all of your choices and, if desired, change your selections. If you are satisfied with your selection(s), you may then officially cast your vote by clicking "Vote" or delete your pending ballot submissions by clicking "Delete Submission". Please Note: Your votes are not cast and included in the official election results until you have successfully clicked "Vote". Also note that once you have successfully cast your vote, you are not able to delete your submission or change your responses. All voting is final once the ballot has been cast.

Incomplete Ballots

If you are unable to complete your selections, but have gone to the ballot and started to select candidates, you may return to your ballot at a future time by going to "My Involvement" on the top navigation bar, then selecting "My Submissions" from the left navigation, and then selecting the "Elections" tab in the main section of the page. All pending election ballots will be displayed under the My Submissions: Elections list. The ballots can be completed and submitted by selecting "View" or deleted by selecting the red "X" to the right of the election name. Please note: all ballots must be successfully submitted before the election ends. Ballots not successfully submitted prior to the election ending will not be included in the official election results.

Request to Hold an Organization Election

If you are the president, secretary, or primary contact of a recognized Kean University student group or organization, you may request assistance in setting up an election for your organization by contacting the Center for Leadership and Service, located in Miron Student Center room 219, by calling 908-737-5180 or emailing cls@kean.edu.

When requesting an election, please be prepared to submit the following information at least one week prior to the beginning of the online election:

1. Election date(s) and time(s)
2. Eligible voter list (the names and KeanGOOGLE email addresses of all eligible voters is needed)
3. Election positions
4. All candidate photos and biographies, if desired
5. Candidates' ballot names