Although the election for a new ASUO president won’t happen until spring term, the ASUO Constitution Court decided Monday to allow voting on the ballot measures for the Multicultural Center and OSPIRG.
After the ruling, Elections Coordinator Shantell Rice announced students can vote on the ballot measures via Duck Web beginning 9 a.m. Wednesday. The election will end 5 p.m. Friday.
The court was essentially forced to allow voting on the ballot measures because elections cannot be held during Dead Week or Finals Week, and University President Dave Frohnmayer must have funding measure results by April 1 so the money can be included in next year’s incidental-fee budget.
The general election should have started Monday, but the court halted voting until it can rule on an appeal by disqualified Executive candidates Bret Jacobson and Matt Cook.
The elections board removed the pair from the ballot on the night of the primary election after Jacobson campaign volunteers distributed fliers in the residence halls.
Although members of OSPIRG and the MCC had to suddenly halt campaigning plans Sunday night, everyone said they are ready to go this week.”I would have liked to see the election happen, but it doesn’t set us back that much,” OSPIRG campaign manager Melissa Unger said. “I know we’ll be ready when the election does happen.”
Unger said she was shocked and “totally caught off guard” when she received an e-mail late Sunday night describing the details of the court’s decision.
“Right now we are trying to stay mobilized for this vote and keep everyone’s enthusiasm up,” she said. “We were all set to go [Monday], but students will continue to stay mobilized around the fight.”
While they didn’t hand out fliers to students Monday, members of OSPIRG continued to talk to students about their campaign and encouraged students to vote for the OSPIRG ballot measure.
But Unger also said it was insulting that the court set the hearing date for Jacobson’s appeal during Dead Week, as people will be studying and not focusing on an election during that time.
William Beutler, director of communications with the Honesty campaign, said he wasn’t surprised with the court’s decision to put a halt on the measures. But said with the elections starting up again today, he is expecting a depressing voter turnout. He said he was confused and upset that the court decided to send the measures to the polls without including the candidates.
“Sending the ballot measures to the polls without the candidates is an abysmal proposition,” Beutler said. “It undermines the campaigning process.”
Beutler said the court’s decision throws everything off for the Honesty campaign. He said participants in the campaign were scheduled to hand out fliers to attract people who don’t always vote to vote against OSPIRG, and he had to call them off, then put them back on the job when the court announced the extra election.
With some unexpected extra time on its hands, MCC Director Erica Fuller said the MCC is working to battle misinformation regarding its ballot measure. The court’s halt on the voting process has allowed the MCC time to re-evaluate and clarify its purpose.
“Multicultural education is a necessity on this campus,” said Abby Lovett, MCC resource coordinator. “We didn’t realize that our purpose was being misinterpreted by so many people.”
Lovett said if the MCC’s ballot measure passes, extra funding could allow the MCC to offer bigger and better speakers and events.
Fuller said the MCC has already revised its bylaws to include a structure to distribute its money. She also addressed the quickness of the court’s decision.
“I am a little concerned with the expediency of the Constitution board,” Fuller said. “It cripples our ability to campaign effectively.”