Ramsey said that Honest Ballot was paid $6,650 on the first day of the election to conduct the election and tally initial results. USG’s budget includes a line for elections containing $9,000, from which the $6,650 for this year’s election came. The rest of the money in that line will go toward paying for the reelection.
An undisclosed polling company will moderate the reelection, which will cost $12,000, according to Ramsey. USG President Radhika Kalani said that USG will move funds around to accommodate the rest of the cost for the reelection, but isn’t sure which lines will supplement the rest of the balance.
“I think that it’s a hard situation for everyone that’s involved, but I think it’s important to have integrity,” said Ramsey.
“We bring in a third party with the expectation that a third party is not biased and that they would make sure that the guidelines that are set are being followed. This is a situation where, based on the data, that might not have been the full case. I do think that it’s tough for the students who ran already and that received their unofficial results. I think it’s kind of tough to hear that, but I do believe that we’re doing the right thing.”
Noah Epstein, who ran for representative senator with POP! and was on the table this past semester in the same position, lost initially when the unofficial results came out.
“It’s a little inconvenient that it is happening before finals as well as right towards the end of the year,” Epstein said. “So it can be a bit stressful. I think it is a bit irresponsible on whoever’s fault it is. I can’t predict the outcome, but I respect whatever outcome it will be.”
Other students turned to OSL with concerns about the election during spring break. One Imagine Baruch candidate for Student Media Council who didn’t win one of the three open seats told The Ticker that a candidate who had dropped out still had her name on the ballot and won the seat even though she wasn’t in the running.
This issue, according to Ramsey, will also be addressed during the reelection.
