When candidates for Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) office file their petitions next week, they will begin their campaigns under a set of reformed election rules. Petitions for candidacy are due Wednesday at 8 p.m. for the election that is slated to take place April 19 through April 21.
Preparations are also underway for events to both inform the candidates about the election process and inform the voters about the candidates. Information sessions for potential candidates will be held on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Forums for voters to meet the campaigners will be held on April 17 and 18.
At its most recent meeting, BSG passed a number of election rule reforms for candidates running for class office and BSG positions.
The first reform defined "campaign," a term which had not been defined in previous election rubrics. The definition, which passed unanimously, defined a person campaigning as "any person taking action on the candidate's behalf."
The definition was left vague on purpose.
"The stricter we make it, the more loopholes appear," said Sam Dinning '09.
Another set of reforms dealt with electronic campaigning. The first reform, which prohibits candidates from sending emails to any College group aliases or lists, was passed with little debate. Nineteen members voted in favor and two abstained.
A reform that removed a clause from the election rules that prohibited candidates from campaigning electronically to people they do not know received more debate.
While some members felt that candidates should be allowed to email freely, others felt that using resources such as posters and forums were a better option.
"I think you have enough ways to reach out to people you don't know without email," said Carolyn Chu '07.
Alex Linhart '06 agreed.
"That's good old-fashioned campaigning. That's what America was built on," he said.
Many members felt it would be too difficult to define what "campaigning electronically" would entail.
"I think the more rules we put out there, the harder it is to define right or wrong," said Molly Dorkey '06, a member of the Elections Commission.
The reform passed with 16 members in favor and seven against.
A reform which would have added a clause about campaigning via Facebook was voted down unanimously. Members felt that monitoring candidates on Facebook would be too difficult to keep track of and enforce.
"You can't rule Facebook," Dorkey said.
The third set of reforms dealt with possible sanctions for candidates who break election rules. The first option, entitled "The Tool Box," listed possible sanctions the Elections Commission could use, including a public warning, delay of the election, and disqualification. The reform passed with 22 members in favor and one against.
The next reform, referred to as "The Linhart Plan," would have had immediate disqualification as the only possible sanction. This reform failed with two votes in favor and 22 against.
Linhart expressed strong opposition to "The Tool Box."
"I think it's wholly inadequate," he said. "If you're too dumb to follow the rules, you should be disqualified."
The third reform on sanctions, which passed 22-2, allows candidates charged with violating election rules a hearing with the Elections Commission.
The final reforms dealt with the appeals process. The first change placed the director of student activities on the Elections Commission as a non-voting member. It passed with a vote of 22-2.
A reform that made the vice chair of the Judicial Board (J-Board) the tie-breaking vote on the commission in the event of a tie passed despite opposition from BSG President DeRay Mckesson '07.
"I don't think our relationship with the J-Board is strong enough," he said.
Mckesson was not allowed to vote on the election rules, since the BSG president can only vote on constitutional amendments.
The reform passed, pending approval from the J-Board, with a vote of 15-7, with one member abstaining.
Campaigning, which will be monitored by the Elections Commission, begins a week from today. The commission is made up of the graduating members of the BSG Officer Team, including Dorkey, Joe Brazzi '06, and Shrinidi Mani '06; the chair of the J-Board, David Ng '06; and Director of Student Activities Allen Delong.
Overall, the members of BSG felt the reforms were a success.
"I think the election rules are really tightening things up in a way that needed to be done," said Vice President of BSG Affairs Dustin Brooks '08. "We plugged the vagaries that had become apparent in other elections."
"These are the best election rules we've had," Mckesson said.
James D. Baumberger contributed to this report.