The elections results for the undergraduate student government
officially came out three weeks ago, but a hearing Tuesday night
““ which will rule on a case recently filed against the
council’s elections board ““ could overturn these
results and set the council back several months.
The possibility that the elections will be overturned is very
real and could have “catastrophic” consequences, says
Mark Belgen, chief justice of the council’s Judicial Board,
who will be one of four officials making the decision.
Former presidential candidate Josh Lawson filed a case with the
board alleging that the Elections Board unfairly imposed sanctions
on Lawson’s slate, the Equal Access Coalition. Last week the
Judicial Board decided to hear the case, and will make a ruling
Tuesday night.
Lawson has said he is not calling for the results to be
overturned but is leaving the ruling to the discretion of the
J-Board.
“We are simply trying to expose what we saw as
inequalities,” Lawson said.
Elections Board officials have refuted the allegations and have
called a new elections process “unfeasible” until the
fall quarter.
The chances that the elections results will be overturned are
50-50, Belgen said, adding that the case is bigger than either
council or the E-board seem to give it credit.
One of the biggest ramifications would be that the newly elected
council would cease to exist and the campus would be without a
council for the entire summer.
“All summer, nothing would happen, and summer is when they
do everything,” Belgen said.
During the summer, council approves significant presidential
appointments and determines its base budget allocations for the
following school year.
The J-Board could also rule that the sanctions were justified
and not overturn the elections or decide that the elections process
was flawed but not sufficient enough to nullify the results, Belgen
said.
If the elections are nullified, Roy Samaan, chairman of the
E-Board, said he would take the decision to council to be
overturned.
“I don’t think that’s a responsible
decision,” Samaan said of the possibility. “It
wouldn’t be right for council to go along with that
decision.”
The officers, who were officially installed into office over the
weekend, say they hope the elections are not overturned.
And though most new councilmembers acknowledge the J-Board may
not rule in their favor, they are beginning to settle into their
offices and are continuing their work as usual.
“It’s the worst possible outcome … and it’s
kind of at the back of the mind, but I’m still doing my job
as if I were IVP,” said Internal Vice President Darren
Chan.
Chan added that he had read the 30-page petition that Lawson
filed and said the case does have credibility. But Chan said it is
not enough for him “to drop everything and entertain the
worst-possible scenario.”
Belgen said this attitude on council may cause the new officers
to be caught off-guard in the case that the elections are
overturned Tuesday evening.
“In all seriousness, they really need to be conscious of
the possible ramifications of this case. If they’re not,
they’re going to be hit with something they’re not
prepared for,” Belgen said.