Under embarrassing and unusual circumstances, the student union finally got it right.
Or, at the very least, they’re on the right track.
Students will be asked once more who’d they’d like to be their union’s president; Mark Henick or Craig Mazerolle.
But there’s still a great deal that’s unclear about this re-vote.
If the re-vote happens before the end of April, all should be well. We can only assume that the STUSU has learned the hard way what will need to happen in this second vote to make it legitimate.
The student representitive council will convene in a few days to decide if they wish to set aside the bylaw that stipulates no election can happen between the last day to hold tests in the semester, and Sept. 1, so that a re-vote can happen before the end of the academic year.
I have no problem with setting aside a bylaw when it’s clear that it will be done for a specific reason, one which council deems valid.
After all, the voting population will change significantly from this year to next, and to keep this vote as fair as possible, the same electorate must vote.
Mark Henick has a proven track record with the union. He’s been involved for a long time, and has done a lot with the union. Going into this election, Craig Mazerolle was the new guy, but his appeal process has given him a chance to show how much he wants this presidency.
Both candidates could easily do the job.
But the road to re-vote has been hard-faught. The process by which we wound up in this position was a tedious one, but it is demonstrative to how important the process is.
There are 2,500 students at STU. Many don’t live on campus, many don’t even live in Fredericton.
But still, 514 votes for STUSU president (twenty per cent of students) is not very many.
Henick and Mazerolle have both proved that they really, really want your votes. The union, despite the organizational flaws in its electioral system, has proven that it is willing to do what it takes to get you to vote, and make your vote count.
So do it.
All this debate – this process – has been for you, the voter.
And if you don’t vote, it’s worthless. It’s your money – our money that goes into making these elections happen. The least we can do is participate
