Absent senators at Wednesday night’s Associated Student Government meeting prevented the passing of emergency legislation that would have allowed students to write in candidates in the April 15 campuswide elections.
Of the 48 senators who voted, 33 supported the measure — more than the two-thirds required to pass the bill. But that total was not enough based on the roll taken by Noreen Khalid, ASG rules chairwoman, at the start of the meeting. Her count indicated the presence of 62 senators.
Khalid, a Communication junior, blamed senators for not reading the election guidelines carefully enough when they were initially approved at the end of Winter Quarter.
“I don’t think the excuse that senators didn’t do their job and look at the guidelines is an excuse,” Khalid said. “I have a problem with the time at which this motion was proposed.”
Bobb and McCulloch halls Sen. Avery Maron said the rules should not be changed “in the middle of an election.”
“Students upset about this decision should go to their senators and yell at them for not doing their job,” said Maron, a Communication junior who also serves as chairman of the Election Commission. “It’s all the senators’ fault.”
The measure to allow write-in candidates, authored by John Hughes, Rainbow Alliance senator and a former Daily Forum editor, and Alexander Lurie, Hillel Cultural Life senator, proposed revising the election guidelines to allow votes given to a write-in candidate to count as long as the person does not incur a deduction of 100 points or more.
Some senators said they think the need for write-in candidates is especially glaring this year, when two executive board candidates are running unopposed. Lurie, a Weinberg freshman, said he believes turnout in Tuesday’s elections will be considerably lower than if write-in candidates were allowed.
“ASG, by doing away with write-ins, has neglected a very important process of democracy,” he said. “While this is late in the game, the cost of not acting now and reimplementing that democracy in these elections is too high.”
John McGlothlin, Communication Residential College senator, called the debate “a complete waste of time.”
“This makes (Senate) look ridiculous,” said McGlothlin, a Weinberg freshman. “Knock it off. This is pointless and frivolous — I have homework to do.”
Although this measure failed, members of the ASG election commission decided to change the “abstain” option on election ballots to a vote of “no confidence,” which will allow students an alternative in all races to the approved slate of candidates. Should an unopposed candidate receive a vote of no confidence greater than 50 percent, Maron said the position will be filled through an appointment process by the newly elected executive board. Senate would confirm the Executive Board’s nomination.
The Election Commission also recommended that five points be deducted from ASG presidential candidate Nafis Ahmed and executive vice presidential candidate Bryan Tolles for election violations. The Judicial Board will render a decision today.
Mike Fong, another ASG presidential candidate, failed to check in Wednesday. The commission will hold a closed hearing today at 4 p.m. to address that violation.
In other business, senators shot down an effort by members of Northwestern Community Ensemble to reconsider the financial misconduct charge levied against the ensemble by the Student Activities Finance Board.
NCE members argued the group was not bound to a clause in SAFB guidelines stipulating tickets must be sold at Norris University Center Box Office and at the event because tickets for a Winter Quarter concert were distributed for free. But SAFB disagreed.
“Students paid for 100 percent of (NCE’s) event,” said Sol Betancourt, a Weinberg senior and SAFB member. “Students deserve access to 100 percent of the tickets.”
The Daily’s Jerome C. Pandell contributed to this report.
