Concerns over restrictions imposed by GUSA’s current election bylaws in yesterday’s freshman and junior Assembly elections are raising questions that could have implications for an upcoming initiative to reform the student association’s constitution.

While no candidate has been disqualified by the Election Commission for violating the bylaws during the campaign, some have said that the election code imposes regulations that are too strict and detailed to allow for an effective dialogue between candidates and voters. GUSA officials plan to announce the results of the election today.

GUSA’s current election bylaws prohibit candidates for the Assembly from spending more than $50 in campaign expenses. Candidates are also forbidden from posting flyers around campus, with the exception of a single campaign banner, and are required to obtain Election Commission approval for all aspects of their campaigns, including quarter sheets, Web sites and campaign events.

Opponents of the election bylaws include Khalil Hibri (MSB ’07) and Salik Ishtiaq (SFS ’07), who ran on a ticket to fill two of their class’s three open seats on the Assembly. The two, along with Maria de Araujo (SFS ’07), were three of only four juniors seeking election to the class’s four seats last spring, but were disqualified after a member of their campaign staff sent an e-mail soliciting support to the Georgetown University Social Democrats on election day.

“We were deeply saddened and troubled by the decision to disqualify us last year,” Ishtiaq said.

Ishtiaq said that if he and Hibri were elected to the Assembly, they would seek major revisions to the election bylaws that he said would allow students to involve other clubs and organizations in their campaigns.

“In this way, GUSA and other student organizations could work together to lobby the university administration, to lobby the wider D.C. community and pool the resources available for more effective and active student activism on campus,” he said.

Ishtiaq also said that lack of student interest in GUSA is due to the problems with the election bylaws.

“Much student apathy stems from the difficulties in the campaigning process,” he said.

Anthony Bonna (MSB ’09), one of seven candidates for the freshman class’ four open seats on the Assembly, also said that the bylaws are too restrictive.

“I don’t know why GUSA’s afraid of having students discuss campus issues freely,” he said.

The bylaws have also created problems for the Election Commission itself, which GUSA officials have acknowledged violated several sections of the code in administering yesterday’s elections. One provision, requiring that freshman elections by held by Oct. 20, would not have been met even if problems with the Saxa Server had not forced GUSA to postpone the election from Friday.

Debates over the bylaw requirements has continued in GUSA despite high interest within the student association in reforming the bylaws after last year’s disputed presidential election, in which Kelley Hampton (SFS ’05) and Luis Torres (COL ’05) were disqualified for excessive bylaw violations. Their appeal of that decision was upheld nearly two months later.

Drew Rau (COL ’06), GUSA President Pravin Rajan’s (SFS ’07) chief of staff, chaired the committee that drew up a proposal to reform the bylaws that was passed by the Assembly last December. He said the new system allows for a better discussion of campaign issues than the old bylaws did.

“The old bylaws basically left you room to cheat,” Rau said.

He added that the major feature of the reforms – the replacing of the old system of fines for campaign violations with immediate disqualification for any violations – ensured that candidates would follow the campaign laws, which he said were easily laid out for all candidates.

Still, Rau acknowledged that some of the questions raised about the new bylaws have merit. He agreed that bans on posted material have made it difficult for students to tell that GUSA elections are even taking place.

Rau also said that GUSA’s current plans to draw up a new constitution will require that the bylaws be entirely rewritten. He added that GUSA officials hoped to have a proposal for new bylaws ready with the new proposal for the constitution in time for February’s executive elections, but that if they did not, the bylaws would be rewritten this summer.

While Rau said that no specific proposals are currently in place for how to reshape the election bylaws, he said that it was unlikely the reform committee would recommend a dramatic reduction of campaign regulations.

Rajan, who was closely involved in rewriting the election bylaws last year, said earlier this year that he favors further revision of the election code that will involve more students in the process and increase vote turnout.