EXCLUSIVE: Original Main House Candidate Asks VSA To Use Old Results

William Serio '13, who ran for Main House president last month, has asked the VSA and the Board of Elections to reconsider the process of filling a vacant position.

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According to the VSA Bylaws, the VSA Council must vote to fill a vacant position. "This interpretation gives the VSA unneeded power over an election that can and should be decided by the constituency of Main House," William exclusively tells Mads.

From William's email to the VSA and Board of Elections:

 

"I am writing to make a request concerning the Main House President vacancy that was announced today. I feel that the easiest, cleanest, and most efficient way to pursue this problem is by re-using the election results that were already taken and replacing all the votes for Sienna Brown with the second-place choices. By doing this, the constituency of Main House is still allowed to decide the President and the VSA doesn't have to create a new candidate pool and a new election."

Some of the response from Ruby Cramer '12, outgoing VSA Vice President for Operations:

"I totally see what you're saying about the announcement of the Main House President vacancy that Tanay announced today. Unfortunately, as you predicted, the decision was made to appoint—rather than re-use the election results—based off a bylaw that we're bound to (Bylaws: Elections, Section 2, Part F):

F. In the event that an elected official resigns or is removed from his/her position, the VSA Council shall decide whether to fill that position by election through a Special Election or appointment. For an appointment, the official notice and application information must be advertised to the relevant constituency. The appointment process shall be conducted by the VSA Appointments Committee, as stated in Article I of these Bylaws."

William tells us that he is unsure whether he will apply for the position if it comes down to a VSA vote. "I would like to run, but I think this unfairly allows the VSA to make a decision that should not be up to them," he says.