Last Wednesday night, the Student Government Association (SGA) senate held a six-hour meeting during which a consensus was formed on the issue of online voting for future SGA elections, a new speaker of the senate was elected, a new chancellor of elections was appointed, the Student Activities budget for 2009 was passed and several presidential cabinet appointments were announced.
The most controversial issue of the night was over a proposed amendment to the SGA by-laws that would provide for elections to be conducted online. Former Chancellor of Elections Sean McNair presented a petition signed by over 2,000 students that asked the SGA to institute online voting. In addition to online voting, he presented additional amendments that provided for more clear guidelines in the election process.
While presenting the amendments, he argued that they would help the SGA attain more legitimacy and encourage more involvement on the part of the general student body. Central Area Governor Dave Robertson assisted McNair in his testimony, arguing that other schools such as the
The initial concerns voiced by senators, such as ALANA caucus-appointed senator Subhan Tariq, centered on the fear of potential voting fraud, such as the possibility of over-the-shoulder voting occurring. McNair and Robertson countered this by stating that strict punishments for this practice would be in place and that other schools haven’t developed issues with it.
Additionally, as to the concerns of so-called voting parties, in which an individual would organized a group together to vote for an incentive, it was stated that time stamps on each vote would help investigations into this practice.
McNair added that the current system disenfranchises commuter students and students studying abroad and an online system would make it easier for them to participate.
At this point, the senate moved to debate the motion. Orchard Hill Senator Ben Thompson in his argument against the motion took offense to McNair’s criticisms of the current SGA, refusing to acknowledge McNair’s comments that most people see it as a ‘joke.’
Commuter Senator Modesto Montero also argued against the motion, stating that as it was the last meeting of the year, senators weren’t given enough time to review the proposed amendments. However, he did submit a motion requesting that if the amendments were passed, online voting would be operated on a trial basis.
Following these comments, McNair, Robertson and Commuter Senator Chelsea Aquino, reiterated their ‘ support for online voting, saying it will to allow for easier opportunities to vote for a greater campus population. McNair also emphasized the fact that he has been trying to submit the motion for a large part of the semester but was unable to see it move to the senate due to the alleged inactiveness of the Administrative Affairs Committee.
Following this, Speaker Shaun Robinson called the senate into recess, during which a heated debate broke out between McNair and several opponents of online voting. Each side accused the other of letting personal beliefs over responsibilities to the SGA inform their debate.
After the recess, several more senators took the stand. Commuter Area Senator Will Syldor stated that he agreed with ‘the fundamental idea of online elections’ but accused McNair of bringing the issue forth ‘in a divisive and personal way.’ Commuter Area Senator Derek Khanna than took the podium in defense, attacking Senator Syldor’s alleged ignorance of the motion and proceeded to read through the entire proposed amendment.
At this point, Senator Tariq submitted a new piece of legislation co-authored with McNair. The new motion, which was approved, agreed that the SGA would support moving elections online. To compromise, Tariq said, in reference to the steps provided for by the motion, ‘That system [online voting] would be determined in the future and would help to increase voter turnout many fold. We feel that this is an incredible step forward for our University as we look to increase voter turnout in all SGA elections.’
McNair stated, ‘I’m pleased that the leaders of the SGA have finally recognized the need for our government to shift to an electronic voting system. This is what the students want as well as what makes the most financial sense.’
He also had choice words for his debating partner, Governor Robertson. ‘Governor Dave Robertson of Central has worked tirelessly this year on behalf of his constituents but also on behalf of all students by fighting for things like the electronic voting system. His enthusiasm and dedication is, in my opinion, something that exemplifies what a student leader should be.’
Following the compromise, SGA President Ngozi Mbawuike announced the consolidation of the Secretary of Public Policy & Relations into an Outreach Coordinator and the creation of a new Secretary of the Environment. Additionally, she appointed Kelly Anne Curley, a former member of the Center for Education Policy Advocacy, as the new Secretary of Administrative Affairs and Shahna Lee James, the former chair of the Senate Administrative Affairs Committee, as the n
ew Attorney General.
During the night, the SGA also passed the budget with little debate and approved former governor of Southwest Chris Faulkner as the new Chancellor of Elections.
At the end of the meeting, the new chancellor proceeded to conduct elections for next year’s senate speaker and associate speaker. Commuter Area Senator Modesto Montero won speaker and current Associate Speaker Cheryl Feinstein won reelection. On his victory, Montero stated, ‘I’m very excited, and I think that this will be a great year for the senate. I hope to bring a lot of new stuff to the table and help ensure that the SGA will be working for the entire campus.’
Mike Fox can be reached at [email protected]
