Undergraduate Council Vetoes Bylaw Amendment

The Undergraduate Council last night vetoed a bylaw amendment which would have provided more stringent procedural guidelines for committee elections.

Drafting of the amendment was fueled by the recent impeachment trial and subsequent resignation of former Vice-Chair Maya G. Prabhu '94 over charges of election fraud.

Prior to discussing the election amendment, the Council passed bills funding a Yale Tailgate Party on the day of the Game and a shuttle bus to take students for free to Logan Airport for Thanksgiving break.

Under the proposed amendment, presented by Paul K. Kim '96, elections would be overseen more closely and results would be verified by an intricate system of checking ballots.

The amendment would have established a committee--recommended by the vice-chair and comprised of the chair, treasurer and secretary--to oversee the elections.

It would also account for each vote by using randomly distributed, numbered ballots bearing a council logo and the signature of the vice-chair and by taking roll call prior to voting.

Council members debated whether the detailed procedures outlined by the amendment were necessary to ensure fair elections.

Some argued that improving the committee elections process would be well worth the effort since it would eliminate the possibility of corrupt or inaccurate elections.

"This provides a very easy system of accounting for each ballot," said Joe B. Nadol '95. "We're getting lazy and I think it's really important."

Kim addressed the pressing need of eliminating the possibility of corrupt elections. "It was a problem and it will be a problem if we don't face it," he said.

But other representatives disagreed, denouncing the amendment as excessive and calling the extra precautions unnecessary.

"It's a case of bureaucratic overkill," said former Council Chair David A. Aronberg '93.

James L. Doak '94 also expressed his frustration at the stringency of the proposed regulatory measures. This is getting a little bit absurd," he said. "Personally, I think we're all suffering delusions of persecution."

The council passed two amendments concerningthe overseeing committee and the numbering ofvotes, which clarified the wording of the initialamendment.

But despite the support of many representativesand the concerns reflected in an hour of debate,the amendment was vetoed, four votes short of therequired two-thirds majority.PhotoJohn C. MicchelKirkland House Rep. PETER LEE '94 addressesthe Undergraduate Council

The council passed two amendments concerningthe overseeing committee and the numbering ofvotes, which clarified the wording of the initialamendment.

But despite the support of many representativesand the concerns reflected in an hour of debate,the amendment was vetoed, four votes short of therequired two-thirds majority.PhotoJohn C. MicchelKirkland House Rep. PETER LEE '94 addressesthe Undergraduate Council