New MSA election date creates concern

Members of MSA voiced concern about interpretation of bylaws.

By Megan Stroup

Published Nov. 18, 2008

Missouri Students Association Senate Speaker Jonathan Mays called a special meeting of the full Senate Monday evening to vote on a bill to officially reschedule the MSA elections.

The MSA election was postponed after students were unable to use the online ballot last week due to technical difficulties.

Board of Elections Commissioners Chairman Justin Mohn said the ballot appeared to be working Monday night. Mohn is a former member of the Maneater staff.

Mays announced at the Operations Committee meeting immediately before the Senate meeting that he was holding an official vote to eliminate any possible concern about the interpretation of the constitutional bylaws regarding the election date.

"If we can do whatever we can to prevent any sort of fiasco, I definitely think these steps need to be taken," Operations Committee Vice Chairman Josh Travis said during the committee meeting.

Some students, including Student Court Chief Justice Jonathan Sandhu, said he saw the election as having officially begun last Monday as scheduled, but cancelled due to technical difficulties. Because these technical problems are not specifically accounted for in the bylaws, Sandhu said the Board of Elections Commissioners is responsible for resetting the election date.

Other students interpreted the bylaw to mean the only way an election date can change is through the Senate, including former BEC Chairwoman Tara Meyer née Brandeburger, who e-mailed MSA leaders Friday to tell them of her disapproval.

"Regardless of interpretation, whether you think the BEC or Senate has that responsibility, we'll have everything covered," Mays said at the Senate meeting, adding that through holding a Senate vote he hopes to eliminate any grounds to challenge the election.

Mays also discussed another part of the MSA bylaws at the committee meeting, which states, "If the election is to be moved forward, the change of date must be enacted at least 14 days before the new date."

Mays said the phrase "forward" is ambiguous, and is generally interpreted to mean moving the date closer to the original date.

"It is logical to conclude if you're holding an election earlier, people need more notice," Mays said.

Therefore, Mays said this part of the bylaw does not apply to the current MSA election date situation, because the Senate will be moving the election backward.

Operations Committee Chairwoman Amanda Shelton led the final vote, in which the Operations Committee unanimously agreed to change the election date to Monday at 6 p.m.

Shortly following the Operations Committee, a Senate vote on the bill to change the election date occurred in the special meeting of the full Senate.

Mays first held a vote, which passed, to receive the necessary two-thirds vote to suspend Senate rules and bypass the two-reading rule to pass an act.

Mays and Sandhu repeated their interpretations of the bylaws regarding the MSA elections, and the 26 present senators voted unanimously to pass the bill to begin the election last night at 6 p.m.

No senators opposed or abstained.

The BEC also held their fourth and final voting test Monday afternoon. Mays reported that 74 people voted in the test run, and the BEC still plans to use e-mail ballots as a back-up plan.

Mohn said that there were no reported issues with the online voting test.

"I feel as confident as I can be," he said.