SGA violates procedure, throws out ballots

   Student Government Association (SGA) will invalidate all votes regarding the proposed constitutional change done by paper ballot this past week after it was discovered that the ballots had not been presented to and approved by senate.

   According to the election processes document, amendments to the constitution may be run with online and paper ballots if decided on by the election committee and the SGA adviser and is approved by a senate majority vote.

   After an inquiry from The Panther, SGA President Megan Demshki discovered the use of paper ballots had not been approved by senate, nullifying around 150 votes from members of four student organizations.

   "I'm so embarrassed," Demshki said. "You can just add this to the list of things that went wrong while I was in Russia."

   Senate unanimously voted to put the constitutional change to a campus-wide vote during its meeting Oct. 21.

   Demshki said she explained to the director of elections, Chelsea Simmons, the ballots must also be approved by senate prior to Demshki leaving the country for a leadership conference.

   "It was really her responsibility to know those documents," Demshki said. "I thought it had been done."

   However, Simmons said she does not recall having a specific conversation with Demshki about the ballots. Although Simmons said she is familiar with the election operating procedure, she wasn't aware of that stipulation.

   "It's my fault. I should have known," Simmons said. "Me, the bylaws and election code are going to have some serious bonding time after this."

   Simmons, Demshki and SGA Vice President Bryce Anderson visited Invisible Children, Queer Straight Alliance, the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and the Alpha Phi sorority last week to discuss the proposed change and administer paper ballots for voting.

   Demshki said the driving force behind visiting student organizations was to encourage students to vote on the proposed change. According to the SGA constitution, a minimum 20 percent of the student body is required to vote to approve an amendment.

    "I think this will greatly impede our ability to get 20 percent," Demshki said of having to invalidate the ballots.

   The proposed constitutional change would affect the way student government review board members are selected.

   The SGA review board handles disciplinary issues within senate and any challenges that could arise during an election.

   "The review board basically acts as the judicial branch of SGA," said SGA adviser Colleen Wood.

   Currently, review board members are selected from the student conduct board by the director of justice and approved by the Dean of Students Office. The conduct board is a group of full-time undergraduate students who hear and make decisions on other students' disciplinary issues.

   If the amendment is approved by the student body, the director of justice would be able to select students from outside the conduct board to serve on the review board for SGA. The appointments would then be up for approval by the Dean of Students Office and senate.

   Wood said there are currently three students on the conduct board, one short of quota. Last year there were six.

   "The change would open the door and allow us the flexibility to reach out to a bigger possibility of candidates," Wood said. "It would also help make sure there are options to make the board unbiased."

   Organizations that voted by paper ballot last week will be notified by SGA and will have the ability to vote online with the rest of the student body today through Wednesday.

To read The Panther's editorial, "SGA tries to stuff ballot box -- again," go to http://www.thepantheronline.com/opinion/student-government-tries-to-stuff-ballot-box-again-1.2724295.