MSA election results uncertain
April 11, 2008
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The most recent MSA Senate elections are over, but the Student Court’s turn to address problems associated with this year’s election process might just be starting.
Voting for Missouri Students Association senators has spanned the past four weeks, and the most recent round of elections in the College of Arts and Science, College of Business, College of Engineering and School of Journalism ended Wednesday night. Board of Elections Commissioners Chairman Geoffrey Grammer said the BEC certified the results of these four elections and the candidates have been told who the winners are, but some current senators have said they plan to file a petition with the Student Court to determine whether this latest election was handled properly.
Senate Parliamentarian Amanda Shelton and Senator Marissa Sharkey said they plan to file a petition in reaction to the latest election problem, in which about 25 voters cast ballots too early Monday night because the ballot was e-mailed to students 15 minutes before the 6 p.m. start time.
The Senate cabinet met Tuesday night to discuss the issue, and the BEC agreed with an idea proposed by Academic Affairs Chairwoman Phyllis Williams to count the ballots as absentee ballots. But the BEC specified in an e-mail to Senate Speaker Jonathan Mays that the votes would be counted in the case of a tie in any of the four elections. Grammer said the absentee ballots were used in one school’s election to break a tie. Mays said two of the other schools’ elections were very close and could have been affected by the absentee ballots.
Williams said her proposed plan was to count the votes as absentee ballots, which, according to the traditional definition of absentee, would mean to count them if the election was close and the votes could change the outcome of the election, she said.
Williams said she cannot “completely fault” the BEC for the decision because BEC Vice Chairman Justin Mohn e-mailed Mays outlining the plan to only count the ballots in the case of a tie, and BEC executive members said Mays approved the plan. Mohn previously worked for The Maneater.
“Prior to reviewing the results of the election, that’s the plan the BEC went with,” Williams said. “I was contacted after the results were viewed and we no longer had a chance to change the definition. At this point it’s inappropriate or even unethical to change the definition established by the BEC.”
Mays said he believed the BEC “intended to use the universally accepted definition of absentee.”
“I hadn’t considered that (Mohn’s) e-mail could have been intended to redefine the term,” he said.
Shelton said she thinks the “allegations of unethical conduct” by Mays' are “unfounded and shocking.”
“This latest election was another chance to make it right, and it disenfranchised voters once again,” she said. “It’s obvious the people responsible for seeing it run smoothly did not take it seriously yet again.”
Grammer said he and BEC Vice Chairman Ian Krause, as well as Mays, attended a Student Court meeting Thursday evening and the Student Court gave the BEC recommendations about what to do.
Outgoing Student Court Chief Justice Drew Weber said the meeting Thursday night was informal because no official petition has been filed. He said he asked the BEC and Mays to attend to discuss the problems with the elections.
He said the meeting was an “advisory” one and that his personal suggestion was that the BEC either count all of the absentee ballots or none of them.
Grammer said the BEC will discuss the court's recommendations with MSA adviser Farouk Aregbe on Friday.
“We certified the election (Wednesday) night, but after talking to with the Student Court, I don’t know what our abilities would be to uncertify it,” Grammer said. “We feel like we might want to take out the absentee ballots and run a Senate run-off in one of the elections.”
More April 11, 2008 News Stories
- BEC decertifies election, throws out ‘absentee’ votes — Arts and Science senators will vote to break a tie in the college.
- Senate meeting passes resolutions and bills — Resolutions about textbook deadlines and 'swipe-in' ticket procedures were passed.
- Affirmative Action forum held at MU — Some members of the MU community are speaking up about affirmative action. Students and faculty filled Monsanto Auditorium to debate ...
- MSA election results uncertain — The most recent MSA Senate elections are over, but the Student Court’s turn to address problems associated with this year’s ...
- Condom plan waits on survey — MU’s Sexual Health and Safety Products Task Force is discussing a pilot program that would place sexual safety product dispensers ...
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