Hatin’ SGA

This is part 3 of a series on SGA elections. Part 2 is here, and Part 1 can be found here.

A commentor recently popped up with a statement about the SGA Elections Committee and I also received an email question, so I think I should address how the elections are run.

The Internal Affairs Committee of SGA screens members to the standing Elections Committee, based on the appointments of the President. The ‘Student’ Senate then has to approve the members.

Both the approvals of Internal and Senate are basically rubber-stamping, as this year in Internal, the process was not explained and members were not told why the SGA Constitution was not being followed (because Internal Chair Ali Gibbons was supposed to chair the Elections Committee, but she is instead running in the election). This year, the members are:

• Senator Jamarl Glenn, Chairman
• Ed Mirecki, SGA Faculty Advisor
• Leslie Atchley, SGA Graduate Advisor
• Senator Jonathan Lee, Ethics Chair
• Senator Benjamin Zhang
• Former Senator Brandon Hall (and VP Candidate last year)
• Breanne Stanley
• Char-Lynn Griego

I will have more information on the specific members of the Committee later.

Elections are run in part by this committee, and in part by UGA Campus Life.

The Elections Committee deals with the Elections Code and the elections meetings, and handles all complaints. They rule with an Iron Fist. They meet privately and make their decisions privately, most likely a violation of the Georgia Open Meetings Act. Last year an SGA member requested the minutes of the Elections Committee, but were told that no minutes exist and the meetings are mostly held over email. The Elections Committee never informs the student body when their meetings are held, another flagrant violation of the Georgia Open Meetings Act.

Campus Life is involved in the actual polling of students, which takes place on the antiquated OASIS system. Those of you who haven’t voted before (or didn’t have their vote count) will see how bad it is, but you have to scroll down impossibly long lists of candidates (in OASIS nonetheless) and remember to save your vote after all of that. Why is this? Only Michael Adams knows.

Does the Elections Committee actually do anything? Nope. Like Internal and Senate, they basically rubber stamp what the current administration wants. For example, this year people are already announcing their candidacy, but the power is in interpretation. Strangely, the Elections Committee always seems to ‘interpret’ what is in favor of their SGA buddies, and opposite what us everyday students think.

If y’all have any questions, feel free to post in the comments or contact me.

Also the esteemed Public Health Senator Jamarl Glenn, Elections Committee Chairman, is an avid reader of this site (can you say homepage?), so hopefully he will step up and answer your questions as well – nothing like helping the student body become more informed, SGA!

PS- Look out for a post about the members of the Elections Committee, and a new series that will explain the internal workings of the SGA.