Indiana University Student Government released its official candidate list Tuesday, with 26 students running for seats in the Student Body Congress during the fall 2026 election.
Voting will take place from 10 a.m. Sept. 21 to 10 p.m. Sept. 23. Every student enrolled at IU Bloomington will receive an email from IUSG Election Director Leo Cavinder on the morning of Sept. 21 with a link to cast their ballot.
IUSG’s Student Body Congress is the legislative branch of student government. Congress is responsible for setting IUSG policy, directing programs and initiatives and representing students from academic, residential and multicultural constituencies.
The fall election is primarily focused on residential representatives, who advocate for students in various dorms and living districts on campus, with 20 residential Congress seats up for election. Students will also vote to fill five vacancies in academic congressional districts, which advocate for the different schools within the university.
The official candidate list includes three candidates for two central neighborhood seats, four candidates for two northwest neighborhood seats, four candidates for two southeast neighborhood seats, 12 candidates for 11 off-campus housing seats and one candidate for on-campus apartments.
The central neighborhood candidates are Dalia Ferguson, Evan Rumschlag and Justin Hase. Northwest candidates are Alexa Gagliano, Emerson Peterson, Kevin Burch and Taraksh Thaorey.
Southeast candidates are Dominick Cognata, Ishneet Ghotra, Sophia Stock and Tyler Rose. Off-campus housing candidates are Aryan Chander, Darsh Khandelwal, Eduardo Vazquez, Eric Cannon, Evan Mehta, Henry Steele, Jake Cocalis, Josie Pfeiffer, Maddi Sponsel, Sam Lamba, Sawyer LaGrange and Siddhu McLeod. The on-campus apartments candidate is Isaac Chapman-Whitehead.
Other districts have fewer candidates than available seats. Greek and community housing has one candidate, Yonathan Bar, for two seats, and healthcare schools also has one candidate, Zach Wood, for two seats. These seats remain open and students can apply to fill through a vacancy appointment.
There are no candidates listed for the graduate and professional district, Jacobs School of Music or Advising and Major Exploration Services.
The final candidate list is smaller than the 32 students Cavinder said he previously estimated would file to run. Before the list was released, Cavinder said the number could fluctuate because candidates still had to go through eligibility checks and could withdraw up until 11:59 p.m. Sept. 14.
Before the list was finalized, the Student Development Leadership Center reviewed candidates’ conduct, GPAs and residential or academic eligibility, according to Cavinder. Candidates must have a GPA above 2.5 on a 4.0 scale and must meet the district requirements for the seat they are seeking.
Fall elections focus on residential representatives, while academic seats are generally elected during the spring. Cavinder said the fall election is typically less complicated than the spring election, which also includes the student body president and vice president.
Congress appointed Cavinder as the interim election director this fall, because the previous election director, Jack Tyndall, graduated. Cavinder said a new election director will be selected to oversee the spring election.
As election director, Cavinder oversees candidate declarations, eligibility, candidate meetings, election rules and election promotion. One challenge, he said, is explaining the many rules governing elections without overwhelming candidates.
Candidates also had the option to submit a bio of up to 100 words to appear alongside their names on the ballot. Cavinder said students should read the bios to learn more about the candidates once the ballots come out, particularly because fall congressional races generally involve less campus-wide campaigning.
With the candidate list out, they can review their official ballots through BeINvolved and have 48 hours to report any errors, Cavinder said. The ballot is then finalized ahead of voting.
The candidate list and other election information are available through IUSG’s website under its “Elections” and “Run for Office” pages.
After voting ends, students can submit election complaints until 10 p.m. Sept. 24. Preliminary results are scheduled to be announced Sept. 25, but those results are not finalized until certified by the Student Body Supreme Court, Cavinder said.
Candidates also have to submit financial statements detailing campaign donations and expenditures by 10 p.m. Sept. 26. A failure to submit can be considered an election violation and can affect the final result, Cavinder said.
Final certification is expected in late September, and elected representatives will be sworn in during IUSG’s Oct. 5 Organizing Day, which is the first official meeting of the new 2026-27 Student Body Congress.
Cavinder said the election office is working with IUSG’s communications and executive branches to promote the election through social media. He said part of that effort is helping students understand what Congress actually does and how representatives can advocate for issues affecting their districts.
“It's important that we have a diverse view of members of Congress that represent different areas,” Cavinder said.
Representatives can bring concerns from their districts to Congress and work with administration and student government advisors to advocate for changes, he said.
Student engagement has been a longstanding challenge for IUSG, Cavinder said. He hopes the election this fall reaches about 5% voter turnout, noting that spring elections have typically seen higher participation.
Students who do not participate as candidates can also get involved later. If a congressional seat becomes vacant, students who live in that district can apply for a vacancy appointment through IUSG, Cavinder said.
For students preparing to vote, the first steps are to identify their district, review the candidates and watch for the IUSG email containing the ballot link Sept. 21.
Editor’s note: Eric Cannon is currently on staff at the IDS. That writer was not involved in the writing or editing of this story.
