The Board of Elections Commissioners for Missouri Students Association has opened applications for a vice chair position, who will aid in upcoming MSA elections. However, the BEC has not received any applications.
The BEC is a neutral party within MSA, separate from the executive and legislative branches, created to facilitate elections and to ensure a fair process. The board oversees both presidential and senatorial elections for MSA, which will take place from March 4 to March 6, according to the BEC’s website.
BEC Chairman Joseph Sell, who oversees the hiring process, said the vice chair is there to contribute to the election efforts.
“A vice chair is another person who is there to oversee the election,” Sell said. “It’s someone who the BEC chair can discuss with regarding any infractions and another person to answer questions.”
While Sell said it’s helpful to have another person on board, MSA Operations Chairman Mathew Swan said that the upcoming elections won’t be affected if a vice chair isn’t found.
“The BEC is not required to have a vice chair to operate,” Swan said. “So it will operate in the same way.”
During the confirmation process, the chairperson of the BEC will interview the interim vice chair, Sell said. After being appointed, the new vice chair will begin an interim period until they are confirmed by Sell, MSA President Julia Wopata, Senate Speaker Jacob Addington, and Interim Chief Justice Daniel Bettis.
If approved, the candidate will be officially confirmed as vice chair in time for the upcoming elections. Sell said he hopes to fill the vice chair position in order to help streamline the process, and that the applications will close once there are two confirmed vice chairs.
“The only thing that I would be looking for in a BEC vice chair is [they are] fair and unbiased in the election process, along with just having another voice in the room,” Sell said. “At the end of the day, what comes down to my opinion may not make sense to some of the other individuals involved.”
If appointed and confirmed, the vice chair’s term lasts until the end of spring semester, so the upcoming elections would be the extent of their involvement.
_Edited by Ethan Brown | ebrown@themaneater.com_