ASASUD’s Election Committee has not yet formally met to revise the election code this year, despite promises made amidst last year’s controversial election to reform the system.
The committee, composed of five ASASUD senators led by Rheya Spigner, the director of administration, will examine the code and its by-laws this semester with the intention of finishing revisions before winter break, Spigner said. ASASUD and the student body will then be able to vote on the code.
But some are concerned with the delay in response time for election code revisions.
Sen. Pedro Silva, of Barrett, the Honors College, said he joined ASASUD and the elections committee in part to fix what he saw as a broken system, and he has been eager to begin discussions to revise the code.
“(The director) has yet to call a committee meeting. She said she was going to but never did. We really want to take our time with this code. We want this to be … flawless and bulletproof,” Silva said. “As soon as (the director) calls the meeting, I’m ready to go to work.”
Actively involved in Cano and Hillyard’s campaign, Silva said this past spring’s election was a mess, in part due to a flawed elections code.
Andres Cano and Vaughn Hillyard’s ticket was disqualified from ASASUD elections despite winning the majority vote. The presidential and vice presidential candidates were disqualified for exceeding the maximum nine penalties, following a Facebook message in which campaign workers incorrectly named a senatorial candidate’s college affiliation.
Following uproar among students and several outside sources requesting a third-party review, ASU’s West campus’ student government, ASASUW, offered its judiciary board for the service. Christian Vasquez and Jessica Abercrombie, the de facto election winners, declined the external review however, and assumed the roles of president and vice-president.
“There is a lot more press on us this year because of what happened last year. That’s why I want to start working early,” said Spigner, who added that this week’s meeting fell through due to a senate meeting cancellation.
Following an interview with the reporter concerning this story, Spigner scheduled the first meeting of the committee for Oct. 22.
Revisions will focus on making the election code clearer and more understandable this semester, Spigner said. Senators will examine the code and its by-laws, looking to improve specific wording so electoral candidates will understand its expectations.
“Our goal is to make a more concise elections code so that problems or controversies can be avoided,” Spigner said.
Sen. Silva said he is eager for the elections committee process to get under way.
“I really want to bring legitimacy back to this committee,” he said. “As a body we’ve really tried to move on from last year’s mess. It’s a new year. It’s a fresh start.”
Many opponents of election decisions this past spring feel a third-party review should also be added.
“The third-party would have provided an independent and unbiased review of the election,” said Andres Cano in an e-mail. “Our supporters pleaded for that option, but when Vasquez and Abercrombie denied it, it was clear that they were more focused on getting elected rather than following the will of downtown voters.”
Spigner said this remains an option.
Vasquez said he would support any changes the election committee decides to proceed with, adding that they did not use third-party review because there was no system in place for the downtown Phoenix campus.
“I support any decision that ASASUD makes, as well as the decision that the students have to vote on,” Vasquez said. “Whatever happens, I support the overall outcome.”
Five ASASUD senators, including Pedro Silva, Dustin Volz, Brittany Harris, Andrew Schmiedeler and Natasia Bongcas, are part of the committee, but members said other senators could also contribute in changes to the code.
When asked if a better elections code would have improved the election process this past spring, Vasquez said, “It’s kind of one of those ‘shoulda-coulda-woulda.’ I think we’re all moving forward.”
Contact the reporter at vpelham@asu.edu
