Disqualification

The election committee met last Friday, May 12, to hear grievances concerning the election process and to deliberate the candidacy of Zhe Zhang.

The committee, which consists of current DASB president Sharla Stevens, senator Lydia Lescalleet, former ICC chairperson Grace Bello, and student Mimi Stewart, decided in a unanimous vote to disqualify Zhang from the senatorial race. Zhang was disqualified on the grounds that he could not make mandatory meetings and that he will be transferring to a four-year university in the fall of 2000.

“It takes one quarter just to get used to the system,” said Barrington Dyer, a vice presidential candidate who was also attending the meeting.

Grievances.

After the vote, the committee moved on to other business concerning candidates’ adherence to the election code. Dyer presented a letter written by Christopher Domingo, incumbent vice president of technology, who is running for re-election.

In the letter, Domingo states several infractions of the election code by presidential candidate Binh Ly and incumbent Executive Vice President Les Leonardo.

Stevens read the letter aloud at the meetings, though the committee did not officially recognize it.

Dyer also alleged that Ly and Leonardo used DASB office equipment in violation of the election code. Again, Dyer would not make an official accusation before the committee.

Another concern brought up, also unofficially, was the validity of the endorsements listed on Ly and Leonardo’s campaign flyers.

Though the two candidates have listed many club endorsements, according to Dennis Shannakian of Student Activities, only two clubs turned in official candidate endorsements, the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Association of De Anza and the Vietnamese Students Association.

The LGBA Club supports Ly and Leonardo. VSA endorsed Stephanie Lagos and Dyer.

Though there seems to have been many infractions, the committee appeared unconcerned. “I don’t really care,” said Stevens, “I don’t want to be anal retentive about it.”

In light of past infractions from previous years’ candidates, Dyer said, “I think we need to have a revision of the election code.”

Impartiality?

Presidential candidate Carlsen dealt the final blow in the melee of election grievances when he brought into question the impartiality of the election committee itself.

Carlsen read from the election code, which states that members of the election committee cannot endorse, or otherwise back current candidates.

When Carlsen posed the question of whether any of the election committee members had worked with candidates in any way, Bello, Lescalleet and Stevens said they had.

“On this committee I can be impartial … on my own time I am my own person,” said Lescalleet.

“I don’t feel I’m in violation of what [the election code] says,” said Stevens. Because she was not working in any official capacity, Stevens believes that any help she may have given to any candidate cannot be considered an official endorsement.