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Certi-FAIL-ication

Today the Election Commission released on the ASUN website the unofficial results of the 2009 ASUN elections. It's interesting because it doesn't appear to be a certification of anything.

Compare to last year's document, this year's "certification" appears to be desperately lacking necessary elements. (Hint: It's supposed to be the same thing.)

The relevant language in the Election Code (section 18(a)(4)-(5) states:

(4) After the preliminary tabulation, the results of the elections shall be released by the Commission Chair and the Attorney General of the ASUN as soon as possible. The results shall be posted on the ground floor of the Joe Crowley Student Union as well as in other relevant places so that all persons shall have access to these results. They shall be clearly marked as preliminary and uncertified results.

(5) The election results for all elected officials positions, as certified by the Commission, shall become effective by their being read into the Minutes of a Senate meeting.

Given what was done last year under the same code, and the fact that the form of the certification was never challenged itself, there would appear to be no reason for current Commission Chair Sean Driscoll to change the form used. It was clear, contained all the essential elements required for a valid certification, and it declared the winners in clear language. This year, not so much.

As it stands, all that has been released is a spreadsheet showing votes. It is not a certification of results, unofficial or otherwise, effective or not.

Believe it or not, it looks like we may have found the one thing Nicole Nelson did right last year. (I've got $5 that says she isn't the one who drafted that document; she just signed it.)

Until the Commission releases a sufficient unofficial certification (results become official only once read into the record at a Senate meeting, by the Election Code's own terms), the Senate should refuse to have anything entered into its records. It's not like this is rocket science, people: just copy what was done last year, correcting the proper names, dates, and vote totals.

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UPDATE: March 25 at 8 p.m.

Last night we learned that an official document will be coming forward from the Commission for next week's Senate meeting (link at 6:18). Perhaps it will be a certification in the proper form.