With another student election approaching and a broken bylaw already, York students can brace themselves for another unfair election.
On January 8, the York Federation of Students put a notice about the nomination period in Excalibur—12 days prior to the nomination period—effectively breaking election bylaw 10.5, which states a notice must be published 14 days prior.
The nomination period opened on January 20 instead of on January 22, like it it should have according to the bylaw. However, because Chief Returning Officer Bradley Chin stated that he put up some posters around campus on January 6 and because students were supposedly given two extra days to collect signatures, the broken bylaw was dismissed by the Elections Appeals Committee.
In other words, rules that are put in place to have a fair and honest election can be broken whenever the CRCRO finds them inconvenient to follow. Though it may seem like a miniscule issue, the problem arises when a CRCRO expects the the candidates running for election to abide by the rules and constitution, but does not expect the same of themselves.
In previous years, bylaws have been referenced time and time again to make final decisions on what is considered fair and unfair. Just last year, CRCRO Samuel Nithiananthan penalized York Now nominee Auranghzeb Khandawala for gathering signatures from students outside the faculty he was running to represent. However, after the appeals committee looked over the bylaws, it was determined Khandawala should have been deemed eligible. By then, of course, it was too late.
With YFS elections already being known for double voting and unfair disqualifications, this year is not the time to alter bylaws and make excuses for breaking them. Elections this year have to be as fair and honest as possible, which can only happen if the CRO and YFS follow the bylaws as well.
As a fifth-year student who has followed student elections since 2009, I have found that every year, elections come with more stories about how the current YFS slate has an unfair advantage and how candidates are disqualified for reasons that make no sense.
And nothing is done about it.
Well, this year, that should change, and the only way it will change is if the CRO sticks to the bylaws every single candidate must follow and penalizes anyone who doesn’t. It’s the only way candidates can really say they won our vote and won the right to represent us for the year to come. It’s the only way an election can work.
Victoria Alarcon
Assistant News Editor
