Student Government President Pat Kelly vetoed a bill on Feb. 19 that would have forced all paid SG members to take a leave of absence prior to joining anther SG campaign.
The Undergraduate Senate passed the reform bill during its Feb. 16 meeting. It was sponsored by former Class of 2014 Senator Trevor Gurgick, Class of 2017 Senator Jamie MacRitchie and Campus at Large Senator Martin Slezak.
The leave of absence was necessary in order to ensure impartiality among SG officials who may also choose to run for or participate in a campaign for a different office, according to Gurgick.
Kelly vetoed the bill because he felt it barred all students from being able to fully participate in elections.
“At the end of the day we are students first, we are in student organizations second,” Kelly said. “I don’t think it’s right to stifle the ability for somebody to advocate for a candidate that they want to see represent them.”
The bill also included drastic reforms for the Board of Elections. It would eliminate the current board and replace it with a five-member Joint Committee on Elections Policy, which would have created and reviewed all election policies. An Elections Commission, led by a commissioner, would be responsible for administering elections, according to the bill.
Kelly is open to working with the Senate to create a bill for election reform that is fair to all students, he said.
“I’ve already ensured the senator[s] who sponsored this bill that I am interested in finding a more comprehensive elections reform bill, but making sure that it is well within the boundaries of respecting students who pay the student activities fee, which is all of us,” Kelly said.
Gurgick said he was disappointed with Kelly’s decision to veto, as he felt the clause helped to hold all students and candidates accountable.
“The thought behind the clause was that officials, in their leadership roles, are being paid and entrusted with positions,” Gurgick said in an email. “Partaking in elections, we felt, can lead to misuse of time and organizational resources during the campaign process. I guess requesting the impartiality of our leaders in elections is too much to ask.”
