USGA boots president from office for ballot error | The Triangle

USGA boots president from office for ballot error

The elected 2017-18 Undergraduate Student Government Association student body president was removed from office following an error in the 2018-19 election process in which not all eligible candidates were initially named on the ballot.

The former president, Lenni Paolini, was removed from office by vote in an impromptu Joint Session after USGA’s Election Committee was notified of the ballot mistake. The student body vice president, Tammara Callanan, resumed the office of the presidency. The removal process was carried out in accordance with Article XVI, Section 2 of the 2017-18 USGA constitution, according to Callanan.

The student body was not notified of this change in leadership.

“As per the 2017-18 Constitution, there is no protocol to notify the student body of the succession within the organization. We realize that this lack of protocol may seem insufficient given that we represent the student body. This will be discussed with the 2018-19 Joint Assembly,” Callanan said in an email interview.

Due to the names mistakenly left off the ballot in the first election, the votes were nullified and a second election was initiated. The student body was notified of this in a May 14 email sent to all undergraduate students.

“While there was no protocol for notifying the student body of the presidential succession, the Joint Assembly realized that it was imperative that we notify the student body of the new election and why it was being restarted,” Callanan said.

Callanan has also been elected as the student body president for the 2018-19 academic year, which begins at the conclusion of spring term. Their public Joint Sessions will resume in the fall term. Callanan stated that anyone is encouraged and invited to attend these sessions.