Ballot-Proof

The cynic comes to expect periodic abuses of the democratic process from such machine dominated groups as the Young Democratic and Republican Clubs, and notes without undue emotion the cries of corruption which inevitably follow the elections held by these organizations. When such charges are levelled, however, at elections supervised by the Student Council, even the most aloof become alarmed.

It is therefore comforting to note that the Council's Temporary Committee on Elections has come up with a plan to insure that no such issue will be raised again. In its comprehensive report issued last week, the Committee recommended a series of rigid controls to guarantee the efficient and successful conduct of all future voting under Council jurisdiction. No longer will the date of elections be in doubt until the last minute; no longer will even the possibility of inaccurate counting be conceivable. A committee of Council and House Committee representatives will safeguard the ballot boxes and, as the report puts it, "remove as far as possible from the election procedure any element of arbitrary choice or personal preference."

Two suggestions in the report must be singled out for additional praise. The introduction of a primary to precede Class Marshal elections is a simple solution to what threatened to become an unwieldy problem. In the future only eight names will be on the final ballot; this will simplify the voters' task and insure that the eventual winners have college-wide support.

Secondly, the suggestion that Masters nominate candidates for Permanent Class Committee is also well taken. There are, in every class, men who are deserving of such a position but who, for various reasons, are reluctant to put themselves forward in what is essentially a popularity contest. By mere dint of his position, a Master knows who these people are and he can see to it that no qualified person is left off the ballot. Anyone not nominated by his Master is free to place his own name before the electorate by gathering twenty-five names on a petition.

Council members at last week's meeting voiced the fear that such a procedure would put a stigma on those not nominated by the Masters. This may well be the case, but a stigma could easily be prevented by having the Masters' nomination come only after all others have been received. Or perhaps the Masters' designation could be kept secret or come merely in the form of a request to the individual involved that he place his name on a petition. Hopefully this matter will be cleared up in committee and the final draft presented to the Council tonight will retain the principle of having the Masters see to it that no capable name be left off the ballot.

In essence, this report, which comes after serious study by a Council Committee, is a well thought out plan for insuring well run elections in the future. It should be passed in full.