Due to a reporting error, this story misstated the number of vacant Congress seats designated for graduate student representatives. Six of the 11 seats are reserved for graduate students. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
A member of Student Congress filed a lawsuit Thursday against Student Body President Jasmin Jones and Peter Gillooly, chairman of the Board of Elections, charging them with neglecting to hold special elections to fill empty seats in Congress.
Jones became aware of the lawsuit the same day and subsequently named an election date, which will resolve the suit.
She said she sees the lawsuit as a sign of a more proactive and less communicative Congress than the University has seen in years past.
“I think the lawsuit shows Congress is being a little more active this year in making sure the executive branch is accountable in its responsibilities,” Jones said. “It also highlights the lack of communication between both of the branches.”
Jones said she was not aware vacancies existed in Congress until graduate student representative Emily Danforth filed the suit. Jones added that the issue could have been easily avoided.
“I didn’t know people were dropping out of Congress,” she said. “I think this could have been resolved through communication before filing a lawsuit.”
Danforth filed the suit asking the Student Supreme Court to force Jones and the Board of Elections to set a date for a special election to fill the vacant seat in District 8 of Congress.
According to the Student Code, empty seats in Congress must be filled through a special election held within 30 days of the seat becoming vacant.
The seat in District 8 has been vacant since the inauguration of the 91st Congress on April 7, the lawsuit states. Four of the five seats in this district representing graduate students are filled. Danforth holds one of those four filled seats.
Eleven of the 41 seats in Congress are currently vacant. In a typical year, two or three vacancies are common, said Joe Levin-Manning, speaker of Student Congress.
The vacancies are the result of recent resignations and a lack of candidates pursuing the seats during the general election in February.
Of the 11 vacancies, seven are designated for graduate student representatives.
“I feel that, in general, graduate students are underrepresented in Congress, and it makes me upset for my constituents that there are students who would like to fill these seats and they can’t,” Danforth said.
Typically, the Board of Elections proposes an election date to be confirmed by the student body president. The board then administers the election. When the board does not set the date, the president is supposed to set it, Danforth said.
“The only reason for the complaint is to get the ball rolling for the special elections,” Danforth said. “I can’t wait any longer.”
On Monday evening, Danforth said she was unaware that Jones had called for an election.
Levin-Manning said in years past when vacancies existed, they were filled by a special election coinciding with Homecoming elections, which will take place much later this year than usual.
Levin-Manning also said such a strong reaction from Congress members in response to vacancies is not typical.
“In years prior, people haven’t really cared, and this year we have a more passionate group of people that really care,” he said.
Student Body Vice President David Bevevino said Jones will file a motion to dismiss the suit. The election will take place Nov. 5.
“We needed to know, and the court finally let us know,” Jones said. “Problem solved.”
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
