Up for vote: Constitutional amendments

Student elections will be moved to the fifth week of spring term next year if students vote to accept the proposed amendments to the ASPSU constitution during this week’s elections. Judicial Board members say the changes would help prevent future elections debacles, such as the one that occurred last year with Rudy Soto.

Most of the alterations to the constitution deal with minor wording changes and the reordering of certain sections, but one would make the elections start a week later.

Currently, ASPSU elections are held during the fourth week of spring term. The proposed changes would postpone the elections until the fifth week of spring term and give the Elections Board the option to extend the voting duration from one week to two weeks.

Judicial Board Chair Alex Hosford said postponing the elections is necessary in order for the elections to move out of the add/drop period for classes, which currently lasts through the fourth week of each term.

Last year, the annual elections went into a meltdown because they took place during the add/drop period-candidates were able to add or drop classes at will while the elections occurred, a choice that could affect their student status.

After current ASPSU President Rudy Soto won the popular vote on April 20, 2007, word came out that he had dropped below the six-credit enrollment minimum during the elections and could be disqualified as a candidate. After more than a month of hearings, debates and tears, Soto’s election was ratified, despite the technicality.

Making the elections start during the fifth week will guard against this kind of situation occurring again, Hosford said.

“That was a big decider in thinking about moving the timing of the election,” Hosford said.

It may not matter whether the elections are in the fourth or fifth week of spring term, however. The add/drop period will only extend through the second week of each term next year.

Hosford said the J-Board had made the constitutional revision before the PSU Financial Aid Office changed the add/drop period, and decided to keep the revision despite the earlier add/drop date.

Extending the length of the elections from one week to two weeks will be a decision the Elections Board will make next year. Hosford said the Judicial Board proposed the change in hopes that additional time for the election could increase voter turnout.

Another proposed change to the ASPSU constitution is altering the language in Article III, section 6 to state that undergraduate and graduate students holding office in ASPSU only must complete four academic credits per term. The section originally stated that those holding office in ASPSU “must enroll in and complete at least four credits,” which helped bring about last year’s election problem.

“That language was such a factor is last year’s election that we wanted to clarify that language a little bit,” Hosford said.

The other constitutional changes are primarily to clarify and to ensure the constitution is a better-working document in the future, Hosford said. Voters can download the constitution to examine its proposed amendments while voting on banweb.pdx.edu.