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SGA to prohibit students with sexual sanctions from running for office

SGA Attorney General Cameron Barrett discussed election code adjustments to the Senate. | Donna Keeya/The Cougar

SGA Attorney General Cameron Barrett discussed election code adjustments to the Senate. | Donna Keeya/The Cougar

The Senate on Wednesday passed the Anti-Sexual and Violent Offenses Act that prohibits students who have served sanctions for sexual assault, harassment, violence or other harmful acts from running for office.

The act will not impact all students who have been accused of sexual assault and their ability to run for office. Only those who have been sanctioned for allegations are prevented from holding SGA office.

“So it’s if the University has sanctioned you for a sexual or violent offense,” said Chief Election Commissioner Beka Harricharran.

Various Election Code Adjustments was passed, which makes revisions to the election code by adding and removing clauses with the intention of making the code more clear and detailed.

“This is pretty much just a bill trying to update the codes to be a little more fair and reasonable,” said Attorney General Cameron Barrett. “I tried to eliminate potential technicalities and loopholes in the code to where people can get around being held accountable. I tried to broaden what’s defined against the election code.”

The Ranked Choice and Single Transferable Vote Act was also passed. Under this bill, elections for student-elected positions by implementing voting through either the ranked choice voting or the single transferable vote method.

“For this one I just figured it’d make sense to put it along with this next election,” Barrett said. “With Beka’s amendment it makes more sense to have it earlier, so it can affect the current election, because it could possibly affect (the outcome of) the current election.

A motion to remove the Department of Justice Appointment from agenda for the night was successful, postponing the appointment of Deputy Attorney General Tabitha Cook.

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