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The Citizen

Elections Apology: Student government promises ‘reform of the elections process’

By Diane Chang

On behalf of KSSG, we would like to recognize and extend an apology for the errors in this year’s elections for MC/MPA and MPA1 Class Representatives. Though the Elections Committee is an entirely independent body and KSSG has no input in their work, we regret the oversights that contributed to any confusion over the last few days. It is, however, KSSG’s job to improve the election process from year to year. We recognize that this is a serious concern for some members of the student body, and we assure you that we are initiating reform of the elections process. For the future, the Elections Committee will have the right mechanisms in place to provide proper oversight and prevent the types of technical errors that we experienced this year.

In addition, we would like to underscore the importance of the KSSG VP of Internal Affairs. This VP and his/her Committee will be dedicated to improving the elections process, updating KSSG’s by-laws and strengthening HKS’ student organizations. We are currently accepting nominations for the VP of Internal Affairs position. The subcommittees of the Internal Affairs Committee include Elections Reform, By-Laws Reform and Student Organizations Management. The VP of Internal Affairs and his/her committee will also run and oversee the January 2012 elections, as the recent Elections Committees’ mandate has ended.

We strongly encourage those who are passionate about enacting change in the elections process to join the Elections Reform subcommittee. We have learned a lot during the elections and want to move forward productively with your input and help. Please contact us should you have questions about the VP of Internal Affairs position, Internal Affairs Committee or the Elections Reform subcommittee.

Diane Chang is the KSSG VP of Communications. She can be reached at KSSGVPcommunications@hks.harvard.edu