The election for Associated Students representatives for the College of Arts and Letters will be held again because a candidate who changed colleges was inadvertently left off the ballot.
The new election will be held April 23 and 24, and will have its only poll site on Campanile Walkway from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The candidates on the ballot will be Teresa Gerolaga, Jena Salda?a, Stephanie Sperber and Chris Shoop. Shoop, who currently represents the College of Business, is the candidate whose name was omitted in the original election.
In the original election, which was held April 7-10, Salda?a was the winner, with 169 votes. She won a full seat. Sperber won 95 votes and a full seat. Gerolaga won 75 votes and a half seat. Full seats are good for one year, while half seats are good for one semester.
Shoop’s name was left off the ballot after he decided to change his major to political science, which is in the College of Arts and Letters. He filed the necessary paperwork to change his major, but the information wasn’t processed in time for his name to be put on the ballot, said elections manager Heidi Woods. She said Shoop approached her the night of April 7, the first day of elections, and asked why his name wasn’t on the ballot.
Salda?a, who is president of the Residence Hall Association and who represents RHA on A.S. Council, said she knows it’s necessary for the election to be held again.
“I think (restaging the election) is fair for the candidate whose name was left off the ballot,” she said. “It’s kind of unfair to the people who have gone through the process. Voters have to come out and vote again, and it’s going to be hard to get voters.”
She also said it’s hard for her, because she has to start campaigning all over again. “But I’m confident that I can get the support again,” she said.
The Elections Committee voted April 10 not to disqualify Salda?a from the election for allegedly campaigning by phone, which is a violation of A.S. bylaws. Acting as RHA president, Salda?a sent a voice mail to residence-hall staff informing them that only RHA-endorsed candidates could hang campaign materials in the residence halls.
Problems arose because Salda?a was one of the endorsed candidates, and she mentioned her own name in the voice mail. The complaint was made by candidate Frankie Jaramilla, who lost the race for vice president of finance, and Jason “Woody” Wood, who lost for executive vice president. Jaramilla was the candidate whose campaign materials were hanging in the residence hall.
In Wednesday’s A.S. Council meeting, Wood explained to the council why he pursued Salda?a’s disqualification.
“I’m extremely disappointed in the way the elections were held,” Wood said. “My concern was with organizations doing illegal campaigning I just wanted an apology (from the RHA) and I didn’t get one … I don’t think it swayed the election, but it’s dirty and I don’t want to see it happen again.”
Salda?a said the RHA is looking into changing its bylaws.
Wood also announced in the Elections Committee minutes that if there is a 10-percent increase in RHA voters when the Arts and Letters election is held again, he will reopen his complaint against Salda?a. This complaint comes after it was brought to the council’s attention that residence hall students were being offered “community cash” if they voted.
Community cash is an incentive program run by the RHA in which students receive fake money for attending programs. Recreational programs are worth $1, and diversity or educational programs are worth $5. At the end of the semester, an auction is held, and students can bid on items such as televisions with the community cash.
