In an unusual twist of events, two opposing Student Council presidential candidates have endorsed each other as number-two choices in the University Board of Election's runoff voting system. Candidates Greg Scanlon and Elliot Haspel announced dual endorsements yesterday, citing similar Council reform-oriented ideologies.
"The new instant runoff voting adds an entirely new dynamic to the system," Haspel said. "I think voters should have every opportunity to vote for reform candidates."
Haspel described Scanlon as "after me, the most reform-minded candidate."
"He wants to see Council really be able to be an effective advocate for the students, and he realized that in order to do that, you have to have wholesale change," Haspel said.
Scanlon also said he based his endorsement on Haspel's reform-based campaign.
"I think we are both aiming for the same thing," Scanlon said. "We both have the same goals, and either of us would be a very good choice."
Both Scanlon and Haspel said they doubt that the move will hurt either of their chances at winning the election.
"You might as well help someone who is going to be accomplishing the same things you want to see accomplished," Scanlon said.
The University Board of Election's newly implemented instant runoff system allows voters to select more than one candidate through a ranking system. The candidate receiving the fewest first-place rankings is dropped from the next round of the runoff.
Voters who chose the dropped candidate automatically cast a vote for their respective "number-two" candidates in the next round. The runoff is repeated until one candidate has a clear majority.
"In essence, ranking a candidate is the same as casting a vote for a candidate," UBE Chair Brian Cook said. "In the traditional voting system it's one person, one vote -- everyone's vote counts at exactly the same time in exactly the same way. With the instant runoff voting system you can vote for as many people as you'd like, but only one of those votes counts at any given time."
Presidential candidate Curtis Ofori criticized his competitors' move.
"Essentially, I think they are abusing the system," Ofori said. "I think the voters will see that and will vote accordingly."
Haspel said he does not see the move as an abuse of the system.
"All we are saying is that if we lose, we want our votes going to the candidate we think is second best," he said. "I don't think that's abusing the system, I think that's being responsible in taking to our voters every chance to get their voices heard through a successful Student Council president."
Fellow presidential candidate Noah Sullivan called Haspel and Scanlon's tactic "pretty creative."
"Taking advantage of the system is not wrong -- it's good strategy," Sullivan said.
Sullivan added that he was not overly concerned with the move.
"We feel pretty confident that we have enough support that we are not going to have to worry about that," he said.
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