DIY Democracy: How We Brought Student Government Elections In-House
Tracks
ASI/SU/REC
| Monday, January 12, 2026 |
| 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
| Junior 2-3 |
Overview
Junior 2-3
Details
Running student government elections shouldn’t require outsourcing democracy. At our campus, we made the decision to move away from costly third-party election vendors and instead build an internal system using Qualtrics and a cross-functional team of campus partners. The result? A more transparent, accessible, and student-centered election process that puts the power back in the hands of students and the campus community.
In this session, we’ll share how we reimagined the entire election process from ballot design to voter outreach and results reporting. We’ll talk about the challenges we faced, the lessons we learned, and the unexpected benefits of keeping elections in-house, including increased student engagement, better data control, and significant cost savings.
Whether you're looking to modernize your campus elections, cut costs, or simply streamline your processes, this session will offer practical tools, templates, and takeaways to help you make it happen at your campus. Join us to explore how a little innovation and collaboration can transform the way your campus votes in student government elections.
Speaker
Joe Nino
Executive Director, CSSA
No Auxiliary Affiliation
DIY Democracy: How We Brought Student Government Elections In-House
Biography
Joe Nino is the Executive Director of the Cal State Student Association (CSSA), where he leads advocacy and policy efforts on behalf of nearly half a million California State University students. With a strong background in student leadership, higher education policy, and public service, Joe is committed to advancing equity, affordability, and student success. He brings years of experience in student affairs and student leadership development, fostering partnerships internally and externally to the CSU. Joe is passionate about empowering students and ensuring their voices are central in shaping public higher education.
Odalys Zamora
Associate Director, Government Affairs & Init
Associated Students Inc., CSU Long Beach
DIY Democracy: How We Brought Student Government Elections In-House
Abstract
Running student government elections shouldn’t require outsourcing democracy. At our campus, we made the decision to move away from costly third-party election vendors and instead build an internal system using Qualtrics and a cross-functional team of campus partners. The result? A more transparent, accessible, and student-centered election process that puts the power back in the hands of students and the campus community.
In this session, we’ll share how we reimagined the entire election process from ballot design to voter outreach and results reporting. We’ll talk about the challenges we faced, the lessons we learned, and the unexpected benefits of keeping elections in-house, including increased student engagement, better data control, and significant cost savings.
Whether you're looking to modernize your campus elections, cut costs, or simply streamline your processes, this session will offer practical tools, templates, and takeaways to help you make it happen at your campus. Join us to explore how a little innovation and collaboration can transform the way your campus votes in student government elections.
In this session, we’ll share how we reimagined the entire election process from ballot design to voter outreach and results reporting. We’ll talk about the challenges we faced, the lessons we learned, and the unexpected benefits of keeping elections in-house, including increased student engagement, better data control, and significant cost savings.
Whether you're looking to modernize your campus elections, cut costs, or simply streamline your processes, this session will offer practical tools, templates, and takeaways to help you make it happen at your campus. Join us to explore how a little innovation and collaboration can transform the way your campus votes in student government elections.
Biography
Odalys Zamora is the Associate Director of Government Affairs & Initiatives for Associated Students, Inc. at CSU Long Beach. She oversees student leadership development and the student government elections process, which she has led using Qualtrics for the past three years. As a proud Queer, first-generation and Latine professional, Odalys holds a master’s in counseling with a focus in student development in higher education from CSULB. Her work centers on student empowerment, equity in access to higher education, and amplifying student voices in institutional decision-making.
