Committee Refuses to Endorse Reform Act

But in the end, inconclusive debate about another aspect of the legislation forced members to vote against supporting it.

The comprehensive student election reform legislation still will be brought before Congress for final approval next week, but it lacks the support of Congress' most powerful committee.

The act, proposed last week by Speaker Tony Larson and Student Body President Jen Daum, would alter the format of student government elections by allowing student government campaigns to be funded only by student activity fees.

The legislation, which will impact next semester's elections if passed, also would shorten the time period in which students can spend funds while campaigning and increase the number of signatures needed to appear on the ballot.

Those core elements of the legislation skimmed through debate, but an amendment allowing any member of student government to campaign during the election season was the most contentious.

Under the proposed Larson-Daum Act, top student leaders -- such as the student body president, student attorney general and senior class president -- could forbid members of their organizations from participating in campaign activity.

Currently, members of the executive branch must resign if planning to assist a candidate's campaign.

"I'm not for the student body officers going out and campaigning every day, but I am certainly against closing off all involvement," said Blair Sweeney, chairman of the Rules and Judiciary Committee, who brought the amendment to the floor.

But Daum, who was at the meeting, was opposed to this amendment.

"Endorsements do not provide every candidate a fair opportunity for succeeding me or any position," she said.

Daum added that student government officials could not fulfill their duties and help others with a campaign.

She and Larson also pointed out that the student body president ultimately chooses the chairman of the Board of Elections and has the right to remove him at any time.

Allowing the president to do this as well as campaign for a candidate could create bias and reverses the point of the reform, they argued.

"What's best is if people stay neutral and stay out of it," Larson said.

Cutting his losses, Sweeney altered his amendment so members of Congress would not be under the jurisdiction of the speaker and speaker pro tem, therefore allowing them to campaign if desired.

Daum and Larson had no objection to the amendment, and it passed by a unanimous vote by the committee.

Committee debate continued over whether student leaders seeking election in a different branch of government should be forced to resign from their positions.

Daum said that not resigning would hinder students' performance in their positions. But no committee member thought it was fair to say an official could not run for election in a different position.

These discrepancies eventually led to the Rules and Judiciary Committee voting to forward the bill to Congress without its full support.

Congress will discuss the act next week.

If passed there, it will go into effect pending Daum's approval.

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.