By Jamilee Lambert
Staff Writer
It seemed to be a repeat of the 2000 elections, except that the misrepresented votes were not from West Palm Beach, Fla. They were from London and Florence.
The General Judicial Council of SGA decided to count the votes submitted by the two international program houses after the March 20 and 21 election was contested when it was revealed that miscommunication prevented the overseas students from casting their ballots.
The decision changed the results of only one election, the race for junior senator where Jonathan Quello will replace Josh Wilcox.
The decision came after junior class senator candidate Charles Irvin contested the election on the grounds that ballots were not distributed in time to the London and Florence campuses.
“I, and many others running, were counting on those votes,” Irvin said. “They would have made a huge impact.”
The SGA Constitution states in Article VIII, Clause 10: “The Election Rules Committee Chairperson will provide each SGA International Program representative with a list of candidates and ballots prior to the conducting of overseas elections.”
The Constitution also states: “For the results of an International Program election to be added to the Seaver College total the results must be faxed to the SGA Advisor in the Campus Life Office no later than 5 p.m. Pacific time on the final day of elections on the Malibu Campus.”
The Election Rules Committee originally rejected the late overseas votes on this ground.
The General Judicial Council, comprised of SGA members from various classes and two non-SGA members, met Monday night to discuss the fate of the ballots in question.
After much consideration, the recount was declared.
SGA President Andrea Krug agreed with the decision. “It’s only fair,” she said.
Although this election wasn’t as controversial as the hanging chads in Florida, many felt it was a matter of principle. “Everyone’s vote should count,” Irvin argued.
Freshman Kelly Pippin agreed. “It wouldn’t be fair to not count those votes. It wasn’t their fault that they were not given the ballots on time.”
A runoff election is scheduled for Thursday afternoon from 11 a.m to 2 p.m. by the rock for a number of other candidates.
The runoff election will determine the winners in a number of close or tie votes such as: Jeff Hamilton and Ben Elliot for SGA President; DeLite Young and Stephanie Wissmann for SGA secretary, Eddie Policastro and Matt Koger for Senior Class President; and Tyler Elizabeth Lewis and Julia Rossi for Sophomore Class Senator.
None of the candidates battling for office in the runoff election were affected by the vote recount.
Pepperdine Concert Series
Pepperdine’s Alumni Park is the site of the first stop of the Ford Califoniopia Tour on April 18, 2002. The tour consists of 10 stops, including Loyola Marymount University, UC Santa Barbara and UC Berkeley.
Three or four bands, whose names are to be announced at a later date, will perform from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. and students will have the opportunity to play games and win prizes. Possible prizes include CDs, inflatable chairs and paid vacations to Mexico, Colorado, or Hawaii.
Free food and drinks will be available to all students who attend.
Students will also have the opportunity to enter a drawing to win a free Ford vehicle, and the Pepperdine SGA will receive one electric car as part of the company’s Think Neighbor Program.
“This event will be the biggest event Pepperdine has seen in years,” SGA Vice President Ben Elliott said. “There is something for every student: food, drink, music, giveaways, sunshine, and of course our ocean view. I am really excited that this will take place and I think it will set the tone for future events in SGA.”
March 28, 2002