Elections Not Run Correctly
By Octavio Velarde '03

Recently there has been much contestation over the Anti-War Resolution, whether it is truly representative of the entire student body, what real effect it can have on world events, and so on. I feel that regardless of the debates surrounding the endorsement of Anti-War Resolution, those debates should never be discussed near, much less at, the election booths by anyone. Previous to Tuesday I imagined that the ostensibly "democratic" ASPC had some rather strict polling guidelines to ensure "fair" and "democratic" elections. Perhaps I am being unfair and strict polling procedures do in fact exist, but Tuesday evening, when I approached the elections booth at the Greenhouse entrance, I witnessed a flagrantly undemocratic affair. Two ASPC elected officials who were presiding over the elections booth as elections officials apparently considered it acceptable to freely offer arguments against and assert their own personal viewpoints on the resolution, going even so far as to predict the outcome of the referendum. I find it completely unacceptable that these two ASPC elected officials attempted to influence, intentionally or not, the outcome of the Anti-War Resolution. There is no difference between this event and elections officials giving what they feel are the "pros" and "cons" of candidates. Consequently, I demand a public apology from these two ASPC elected officials. This episode is not a minor offense. It is an egregious act of corruption.