Soto decision delayed until next Tuesday

The Elections Board postponed a decision to declare an official winner of the student body president elections until Tuesday, May 15, after receiving legal advice from the Department of Justice.

Chip Lazenby, Oregon Department of Justice legal counsel for Portland State, refused to publicly state the official advice he gave to the Elections Board during a closed executive session meeting. However, Lazenby praised a Judicial Board decision that declared Rudy Soto ineligible as a candidate for ASPSU president.

“I think the Judicial Board did a very good job,” Lazenby said after the executive session meeting with the Elections Board. “I think that their decision was good and very brave.”

The Judicial Board ruled Soto ineligible as a candidate for president of the Associated Students of Portland State University (ASPSU) because he dropped below a six-credit enrollment requirement during elections week.

Soto won the popular vote for student body president by 89 votes and was validated as the winner of the ASPSU presidential seat on April 20 by a 2-1 Elections Board vote. The Judicial Board ruled Soto’s validation as ASPSU president unconstitutional a week later.

Thursday’s Elections Board meeting was meant to resolve three weeks of questions, complaints and arguments about Soto’s validity as a candidate.

Now, the student body of Portland State must wait until Tuesday, May 15 to see if the Elections Board will again validate Soto as president or follow the Judicial Board ruling.

If the Elections Board votes to agree with the Judicial Board decision that would declare Soto ineligible, Patrick Beisell would be placed in the office of ASPSU president. Beisell lost to Soto by a vote of 910 to 999.

Elections Board member Tara Lundberg said during Thursday’s public Elections Board meeting that she disagreed with the advice that Lazenby gave her.

“I was uncomfortable with the response I got,” said Lundberg about Lazenby’s advice. “The advice he gave us was his interpretation, and I don’t agree.”

Lundberg and Elections Board member Sean Larkin, who were the two that voted to validate Soto as president on April 20, came close to validating him as president again at Thursday’s meeting. The meeting time ran out before any final decision was made.

A final decision may be made about who will fill the office of ASPSU president at the May 15 Elections Board meeting, which starts at 4 p.m.