Staff editorial: BoE's actions discouraging
The Johns Hopkins News-Letter · April 29, 2004
Early this month, we commended a new Board of Elections (BoE) for improving communication with students. After campaign controversy forced them to re-run the March Student Council (StuCo) executive president election, April promised a new StuCo president and smoother class elections. Frequent e-mails from the BoE about election policy and voting procedures set a promising precedent for transparency. Unfortunately, the trend stopped just at the moment that would test its success.
In commending the BoE, we had cautioned only that they maintain this contact throughout last week's voting process, notifying students promptly of anything requiring their attention.
Since then, however, they've tripped on the same stumbling blocks that have hindered past elections, stifling communication during elections and winner announcements. A new senior class president was named and a third StuCo presidential election was scheduled - but students have yet to be told.
First, elections that were scheduled to end at midnight on April 19 were extended until midnight April 20 due to the tragic events of a student's murder last week. The decision was appropriate, but the announcement e-mail was only sent at 6 p.m. that night, leaving the vast majority of students unaware that they could continue voting.
Secondly, the BoE approved the disqualification appeal of junior Payal Patel on Friday, which led her to become the new Class of 2005 president. However, the BoE has yet to announce her as the new president of the senior class. Although she has been the valid winner for five days now, the BoE Web site still lists her as "disqualified."
Thirdly, after last week's StuCo presidential election ended in an unprecedented tie, the BoE has yet to send a campus-wide e-mail informing students that the run-off election is this weekend. They appropriately scheduled the vote before finals period, but the lack of communication paints a stark and negative contrast compared to their prior precedent of improved communication.
The BoE has made good decisions in addressing candidate appeals and the run-off election. However, poor communication undermines their good judgment and success in mobilizing student voters.
StuCo presidential candidate junior Soren Gandrud said that the exhaustive semester of elections and poor communication have left him "really disheartened." Class of 2005 president-elect Patel said that she doesn't trust the BoE anymore: "It shouldn't be like this. I don't believe anything the Board of Elections does anymore."
The BoE must publicize this weekend's election immediately and then promptly announce the winner next week. Only by doing so can they preserve a wavering student faith. They have shown that they can communicate effectively, but this must be the standard, not the exception.