With the formation of the University Board of Elections, Student Council President Daisy Lundy said she hopes the upcoming election will run more smoothly than last year's tumultuous contest.
"I think we can learn a lot from the lessons of the past," Lundy said. "It is a learning experience for us all."
Last year's election was marred by allegations of inappropriate partisanship, mismanagement of procedure and racial controversy.
The confusion began when two non-CIOs, the Minority Rights Coalition and First-Year Council, decided to make endorsements for the first time.
Several members of Council's executive board recommended that non-CIOs not be allowed to endorse candidates.
The debate became controversial when both non-CIOs chose to endorse candidate Daisy Lundy, while some alleged that the executive board members who made the recommendation supported another candidate in the race who was a Council member at the time.
Council Elections Committee Chair Julie Teater ruled the endorsements were valid, but Lundy decided to give them up.
When results of the election were announced, Lundy had won by just under 5 percent, the margin needed by a candidate to avoid a run-off.
The Elections Committee then voided 41 votes because Lundy had violated campaign regulations by chalking on bricks and classroom blackboards, putting too many fliers on boards, destroying another candidate's advertising and campaigning door-to-door in dorms.
Without a 5 percent margin of victory, the election process continued with a run-off between Lundy and Hallen.
During the process, Lundy filed two appeals. The first was denied by Council's Rules and Ethics Board, and she subsequently withdrew the second.
Lundy also filed a police report citing threatening phone calls. The morning of Feb. 26, Lundy allegedly was assaulted while walking to her car. The assault reportedly was racially motivated.
Soon thereafter, Hallen withdrew his candidacy. On March 11, the Elections Committee declared Lundy as Student Council president.
In response to many of the problems associated with last year's elections and after much deliberation, a referendum was offered to students in the fall for the creation of a University Board of Elections. The approval of the board by students brought with it structural and procedural changes to the election process.
UBE Chair Brian Cook cited the Board's independence from Council, its more secure online voting system and the new staggered petitions process as improvements to the elections procedure.
"With an untested elections process like the one we have put in place, there are bound to be some problems along the way," Cook said. "From my perspective, the elections process has gone very smoothly thus far."
Lundy said she thought the independence of the Board from Council was a positive change.
"I think the inception of the UBE eliminates all the potential biases that a person in this office can encounter," she said.
Former presidential candidate and current Council University Relations Director Ed Hallen also said he was optimistic about the new changes.
"I think that Student Council has had a successful year," Hallen said. "The elections process has undergone positive changes. There will be kinks and minor difficulties, but [the new changes] will lead to a greater understanding of the elections process -- that's how we need to look at it."
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