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Joke Break
Amidst Confusion, Elevation, Impact Win.
Elections Errors Delay Results Until Midnight
Daily Utah Chronicle, March 28, 2002
Tension filled the Union late Thursday night. Student body office candidates and supporters waited for an announcement of the primary election results and the ruling on the Impact Party's 23 candidates who were fined for not attending a mandatory meeting.
The announcement was scheduled for 10:30 p.m. When the ruling came from the Supreme Court of the Associated Students of the University of Utah just past 11 p.m., the situation became much more tense.
The Supreme Court held a hearing at 7:30 p.m. Thursday to determine the validity of the fine imposed by the Elections Committee on 37 candidates who missed a mandatory meeting in January. After listening to the cases and deliberating for about three hours, the court handed down a decision nobody expected.
The court found that members of the Elections Committee currently in place had not been confirmed by the Student Senate--something that Redbook, the constitution and bylaws of ASUU, demands must happen before any students can take office. Because of this, the court put a stop to all campaign activities, including the reading of election results.
Candidates who had waited for more than an hour to find out who won the primary elections reacted with disappointment and anger.
"It just makes it worse as the night goes on," said Steven Rinehart, presidential candidate from the Probable Cause Party. "Obviously they're going to work this out."
"I'm too tired to be upset," said Colter Hammer, vice presidential candidate from Elevation. AnnMarie Allen, who is running for president with Elevation, initially refused to comment due to frustration.
Not long after the students heard the ruling, ASUU officials called a 24-hour notary, an official licensed to verify documents. The court ruled that only when Kristien Hixson McDonald, Senate chairwoman, issued a notarized letter confirming the nomination of the seven Elections Committee members could the results be read.
Four of the seven committee members had already been approved. The remaining three, Teresa Smith, Pat Thurman and Maryann Labrum, chairwoman of the Elections Committee, were not approved until ASUU officials contacted nine of the 16 student senators late Thursday night.
"Some were tired, most were willing to help give their validation," Labrum said, unclear on exactly whose fault the approval oversights were. Elections Registrar Josh Walker took responsibility for the mistake. "We didn't realize [the committee] hadn't been approved by the Senate."
After some confusion as to where the results would be read, and who would be present for the announcement, a group of 36 students gathered in the ASUU office after midnight to hear the numbers they had waited for all night. Virtually no one spoke or even expressed emotion as Walker read the names of the students who would compete in the final elections.
Bill Edwards and Randall Lloyd who are running for president and vice president of the Impact party received 1,030 votes, and AnnMarie Allen and Colter Hammer from the Elevation Party received 754 votes. These two parties beat out the Probable Cause and Apathy parties.
The 37 candidates who missed the meeting will have to pay a $25 fine or face disqualification, according to the Supreme Court ruling.
"Of course we're very disappointed," said McDonald, who also appealed the case before the Supreme Court. "We felt we had a very valid case."
