Elections System Reformed by Council, Ending Petition Delay

Designed to meet past criticisms of the system of upper class elections, a reform in the method of nomination by petition was announced last night by the Student, Council. At the same time, it set up a new committee for the selection of candidates for the Student Council.

In the future, nominations by the regular committee appointed for that purpose, and nominations by petition are to be announced simultaneously. "The names of all nominees shall be publicized without any distinction as to the method of nomination," according to the newly adopted election by-laws.

Additional nominations will be permitted for a period of four days after the first selections are published in the CRIMSON. This allows men who anticipated but did not receive nomination by the regular committee to get their names on the ballot.

Nomination Changes

The reform will apply to Senior Elections, Junior Album Elections, and Student Council Elections. For the Council it will not become final, according to its constitution, until after a 30-day period during which the amendment will be publicly posted.

Nominations for election to the Student Council will henceforth be made by a committee consisting of eight Seniors on the Council, five Juniors not on the Council, and four Sophomores. In the past the Student Council itself selected the candidates.

There has been strong protest against the old system, the opinion being generally held that the old Council was selecting the new Council. By the new plan, the majority of the nominating committee will consist of non-members of the Council.

Old Method

The old method of nomination in all upper class elections provided for a primary announcement of only these candidates who had been selected by the regular committee. Nominations by petition were published later as being by petition. Charges were made that there was discrimination against the petitionaries.

Last year a self-constituted Committee for Electoral Reform, backed by 127 signatures from the class of 1938, presented a number of demands to the Student Council. The Committee's platform stated that the later announcement of nominees by petition made them appear to be "self-seekers."

Further minor changes in the Elections system adopted by the Council last night included a redistribution of the duties of the Nomination and the Election Committees.

The new regulations go into effect immediately. Nominations for the first Senior Elections and for the Junior Album will appear in the CRIMSON on Monday, February 20. The elections will be held the following week.