After breaking Oregon’s Public Meetings Law Wednesday night by holding a secret vote, the Student Senate has called an emergency meeting to re-vote for Senate officers.
At this time every year, the Senate votes on a chairperson and vice chairperson to run the smaller Summer Senate committee.
On Wednesday, the Senate unlawfully voted on the chairperson and vice chairperson positions, electing Senator Athan Papailiou and Jennifer Lleras in a secret ballot. Senators were instructed by former Senate President Stephanie Erickson to anonymously write their choices for the positions on pieces of paper. The votes were counted in the corner of the room by Erickson and another senator, and the two winners were announced without recording a tally.
Erickson said in a phone interview after the meeting that she was wrong and did act unlawfully when she called the secret ballot.
According to meetings law, all governing bodies are prohibited from conducting secret ballots and are required to report the tally and the members’ individual votes.
A re-vote is not required by Oregon Public Meetings Law if the vote was not manipulated, but Papailiou said a petition was signed by one-third of the Senate to have the special meeting. Senator Erica Anderson called for the special meeting.
The meeting will be held in the EMU Board Room on the third floor of the EMU today at 5:30 p.m.