After NEC goof, freshmen head to election booths once again

It's freshman elections, take two. After results from last week's Undergraduate Assembly and freshman class vice president elections were thrown out due to a Nominations and Elections Committee error, the second round of voting for those seats has been scheduled for Tuesday on College Green. Two freshman candidates filed charges against the NEC at last Thursday's Fair Practice Code hearing -- when charges are heard and election results are announced -- claiming the NEC failed to submit their statements along with those of the other candidates for an election-day insert in The Daily Pennsylvanian, thereby biasing the election. "We made a mistake that biased the elections," NEC Chairperson Chris LaVigne said. "Therefore, we tried to rectify it in the best way possible, which the entire committee decided would be a reelection." LaVigne, a College senior, noted that "most candidates are actually opposed to the re-election," but many also realize that another round of voting is the only way to correct the NEC's error. Several candidates at the FPC hearing last Thursday expressed concern that their classmates would not take the second election seriously and may refuse to make another trip to the polls. "I think students will be surprised that elections are going to be held again," LaVigne said. "I hope they understand we're doing this to truly ensure a fair election." The NEC plans to publicize for the upcoming election with flyers around the Quadrangle and Stouffer Dining Commons and advertisements in the DP -- including an insert with all the candidates' statements. The NEC is not allowing candidates to spend money printing and distributing posters and flyers this time; only verbal campaigning will be allowed. Three candidates -- who were disqualified at the FPC hearing for failing to meet the deadline for submitting their expense forms to the NEC -- will be allowed to campaign with the other candidates this time. LaVigne explained that the NEC made the decision to include these candidate "due to the fact that we nullified the results of the last election." "Since we're having a new election with new guidelines, we felt we should not preclude those students, because they didn't violate rules for the new elections," LaVigne said. He added that he hopes people will understand the the NEC is simply holding itself accountable to the FPC, as it expects all candidates to do. "This entire fiasco should definitely have been avoided and will be avoided in the future," LaVigne said.