Lakehead University Student Union will be overhauling its bylaws following allegations that a student tampered with a ballot box during last month’s executive election, says the union’s vice-president of finance.
The results of LUSU’s first election, during the week of Feb. 7, were invalidated after a number of breaches, including polling stations being located in the wrong places. The revote was done on March 22 and 23 but those results were also invalidated.
Laura McCreery, the chief of returning officer for LUSU submitted a report at the LUSU board of directors meeting on Friday. In her report she said video surveillance showed a person allegedly tampering with a ballot box and improperly placing ballots in the box.
Chris Vaillant, Lakehead University Student Union vice-president of finance, said they believed the person was a student. He said they wouldn’t be able to have another revote before the end of the school term so the election will be pushed back until Sept. 19.
"In the new election we hope to have new bylaws governing that election giving all the fall out that has happened with this," he said on Monday. "Our big project for us this summer will be overhauling our bylaws that pertain to our elections process. It is the first time that we’ve had two election procedures disqualified."
It costs about $5,000 each time students go to the polls but is covered in the LUSU budget, he said.
The individual accused of tampering with the ballot box is under investigation by Lakehead University.
Vice-president of finance candidate Franz Masini gave a deputation to the board of directors meeting on Friday that outlined his concerns about the ballot tampering. He said LUSU should have handled both elections better and hoped that with these new amendments to the bylaws that elections at LU will be improved.
"There’s something in this process that’s very ineffective," Masini said. "At the same time I, with all due respect, I don’t believe some of the things that did happen are in (LUSU’s) control. But the other side of that coin is if something happens once, as it did the first election, why not take all the necessary precautions to prevent it from maybe happening a second time."
But some students who spoke with tbnewswatch.com on Monday said they weren’t happy that they would be returning to the polls next fall.
Jocelyn Hannusch, a second year English concurrent education student, said it felt like every year that she’s attended LU she’s had to go to the poll. For her, the validity of voting just seemed to lose its appeal after so many times.
"I’ve been finding lately that we’re always in an election and I can’t pay attention anymore," Hannusch said. "I have voted twice now and the next thing I know there’s another election. It’s becoming a waste of time. "
Nicole Sutton, a third year kinesiologist student, shared Hannusch feelings on the matter and said there needed to be a better way to ensure that the number of ballots casted reflected the student body.
Rob Moore, a third year electrical engineering student, said LUSU should be overhauled from the ground up.
"As student, I don’t think we see a lot of what the election brings to us. There are really no fruits to it," Moore said. "It would be nice if they practice some of the things that they promised but it feels like we’re voting for nothing over and over and over."
