H o m e

N e w s

S p o r t s

O d d s & E n d s

E d i t o r i a l s

C l a s s i f i e d
A d s

L e t t e r s t o
t h e E d i t o r

S t a f f

L e g a l

B u l l e t i n
B o a r d

R a t e O u r
P a g e s

U M S L

M C M A

POOR POLL POSITION PORTENDS ILL FOR SGA

by Steven M. Wolfe

Once again, UM-St. Louis students need only to look to the Student Government Association for examples of violations of democratic principles. At the March SGA meeting, SGA president Jim Avery announced the formation of a task force to revise the SGA constitution with a meeting to be held last week. However, when I asked Avery last Monday about a meeting, he replied that no meeting would be held until after the student elections.

How much longer is the student body going to have to wait to see the SGA revise its constitution? After I proposed a similar constitution committee resolution at the April 1997 SGA meeting, the assembly requested that the incoming SGA president get a committee active on constitution revision. Why has it taken Avery until March 1998 to show any interest in constitution revision when last year's assembly directed the incoming president to do so?

The SGA election committee also brings the students an example of violating democratic principles. In the March 23 issue of The Current, Jason Brazeal, chair of the SGA election committee, said, "If [booths] are not going to be manned and somebody doesn't show up at one, obviously we're going to have to shut them down, and we don't want to do that."

Mr. Brazeal, I ask you, do other levels of government shut down polls if nobody signs up to staff them? No. The election committee is responsible to see that all polls are open during advertised hours. Otherwise, students are not given their right to vote and candidates could file an election grievance on the outcome of the election. A proposed solution to this problem would be to pay poll workers, something that SGA has not done in recent years. Other government entities pay these workers; why not SGA?

Students, if you want to learn democratic principles, take a political science or a U.S. history class. You won't see them in action if you look at this year's SGA.

And to the election committee:

1. Ballots must allow space for write-in votes. They are legal in SGA elections and space must be made available on scantron ballots to allow them.

2. Polls must be available when announced or candidates will file a grievance. You should not try to advertise as many polling places, but must always have someone at South Campus and at U Center (Lucas in the evening). If necessary, you should pay a poll worker at work-study rate to keep these polls open the entire election if you cannot get volunteers. Find the money in SGA budget even if it is not budgeted under the item of wages. Students have the right to vote during advertised hours. Your committee is responsible to keep those polls open during those hours no matter what it takes.

If you don't follow democratic principles in running this election, a grievance will be filed even if I win.