News of Your Carleton appealing the electoral board’s decision is the latest instalment in the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) elections saga. The electoral board was tasked with making a decision on whether the Change slate should be disqualified from CUSA elections due to an alleged incident of impersonating a professor. With evidence coming to light disputing this, the board decided not to disqualify the slate.
This has prompted the Your Carleton slate to appeal the decision to the constitutional board. Your Carleton campaign manager Craig Handy says the electoral board’s decision was made with haste, and thus should be reviewed.
The constitutional board’s ability to make an unbiased decision was questioned by both Change and Your Carleton. The board includes members who have shown alliance to both slates—elected vice-president (student services) and Change candidate Ashley Courchene sits on the board himself.
Problems of biases and decisions made with haste will continue to arise if changes are not made. CUSA should explore the option of appointing students-at-large who are as far removed from the association’s politics as possible on the electoral and constitutional boards. They should extend the deadlines for both to avoid hasty decisions.
The process of sorting out the final results of the CUSA elections has extended far longer than it should have this year, and problems will continue to arise time and time again if CUSA does not take the necessary steps to reform their system.
