The GUSA assembly unanimously approved the creation of a commission to reform the election bylaws at the assembly’s first meeting of the academic year on Tuesday. The bylaws became the focus of last year’s disputed executive election after the Election Commission disqualified the winning ticket, Student Association President Kelley Hampton (COL ’05) and Vice President Luis Torres (COL ’05). The ruling was later overturned and Hampton and Torres were sworn into their offices.

Representative Drew Rau (COL ’06) was named chair of the committee, which has been designated to propose changes to both the assembly and presidential election bylaws. Other members will include assembly Representatives Dave Hartzler (COL ’05), Chaz Perin (COL ’05) and Pravin Rajan (SFS ’07) and assembly Vice Chair Nate Wright (COL ’06). Erika Cohen-Derr, director of orientation and leadership at the Center for Student Programs, will also assist the committee in an advisory role.

Rau will be required to report weekly on the committee’s progress and the GUSA assembly will have to approve the changes before they are enacted.

Hampton solicited volunteers for the committee over the summer and Rau emerged as chair.

“I felt I could bring an open mind to the head of the table,” Rau said. “I thought it was important that the chair of the committee be someone who was not involved in any of the election controversy and had not already formed a certain view on the problems with the bylaws simply because of his or her connections to a ticket.”

Hampton said that it was this impartiality that led her to select Rau.

“He’s a very neutral force and I feel he can make the difficult decisions necessary,” she said.

Rau said that he chose Hartzler, Perin, Rajan and Wright for the specific perspectives each would bring to the table. Hartzler was a candidate in the executive election as well, although he was not among the disputing tickets. Wright served on the Constitutional Council last year that ultimately decided the outcome.

Rau called Perin and Rajan “intensely dedicated and hard-working assembly members who worked very hard on the bylaws over the summer and are capable of spotting all the flaws in a system.”

The committee plans to consult everyone involved in election controversies over the past two years. Hampton and Torres were initially disqualified due to excessive fines that resulted from bylaw violations.

“The committee’s goal is the creation of a straightforward set of bylaws that will ensure a fair and uncontroversial campaign and election,” Rau said.

Hartzler said that the committee would try to eliminate as much subjectivity as possible from the disciplinary process during elections.

“This means coming up with straightforward guidelines as to what is and isn’t permissible, and making violations of these guidelines punishable in a quantifiable way,” he said. “The easy part of reforming the bylaws has already been done. We have the commission set up and we recognize the problem. The hard part of reforming is going to be balancing the need for control over the campaign process and allowing parties to campaign in creative ways.”