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Moore defeats RON by a single vote · but should he have won at all? By JAMES GOFFIN, News Editor Newly-elected Union Communications Office, Colin Moore, has already had to field calls for his resignation after yet another election balls-up. Students finally went to the polls to elect a Communications Officer at the end of last term, only for the result to be called into question after a di pule over election rules. Former Deputy Returning Officer, numerically in order of preference. Despite the mistake, the Union is Colin Moore, emerged as the only As a result the members of the refusing to re-count the vote unless a Elections Committee who were formal complaint is received . candidate to take on the role as an unpaid officer after students knocked present at the count rejected the ·we have not yet had any back the chance to stand as a full· papers marked with an X or a tick. complaints about the decision. That time paid sabbatical officer. "If you look at the Electoral Reform was the decision taken at the time and But he faced vigorous opposition Society rules used in the constitution, the Returning Officer was of the Re-Open it clearly states that only a paper that opinion we were conforming with the from anonymous Nominations campaigners, who urged shows the number is accepted ," election rules," insisted Usa. voters to reject him by plastering RON explained Union Academic Officer, "If people h e concerns about the stickers all over campus. Usa Eldret. validity of Colin's victory then they are But an Electoral Reform Society ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Spoilt papers . spokesman told Concrete that an X Other news: Despite massive publicity, only 119 or any other mark IS valid - so long as - Forum in chaos 3 students turned out to vote - less than it indicates a "clear first or only - Lecturer's looks can affect one per cent of UEA students - and preference". your grades 7 Colin emerged victorious by only one "In ·any election a ballot paper is spoilt if the voting intention isn't clear," • •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• vote, with 48 votes to 49 for RON. However, it soon emerged that the said the spokesman. perfectly within their rights to use the majority of the 24 papers rejected as "If a voter puts two 1s then that's a complaints procedure. With it being a "spoilf endorsed RON, but used an X spoilt paper because their intention is contentious vote you are going to get or a tick rather than a number 1. not clear. If they put a single X, then a significant number of people who Under the voting system used, that would be a valid paper and we will vote RON because that is how they choose to express their students must rank candidates would count the X as a 1"."
democratic right, but at the end of the day he won." And Colin insisted that he intends to stay in the job. "I believe the Union has suffered from not having a Communications Officer and to me it's important to get it sorted out," he said.
Insisted "I want to work to improve the Union pages on the web, I want to help all the media to use their resources to the best of their ability, and I want to make sure students know what's going on in the Union ." The Union does intend to take action over RON ; however, possibly scrapping the system as part of the planned constitution re-write. • "RON is something that is exclusive to the student movement. There are difficulties with it, especially with breaches of the election rules because there 's not actually a candidate, and yet RON could be seen as unfairly influencing the vote," said Lisa.
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