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Technical Troubles Stall Election Results
By John’ O'Hale
and Elizabeth Breyer
Staff Writers
The anticipation that had built over a
two-week campaign period fell flat early
this morning, when candidates learned
that election results would be signifi
cantly delayed.
At Sitterson Hall, elections head
quarters, energy waned as candidates
waited for word regarding the comput
er problems, which prevented the
Elections Board from determining a
clear winner in any race.
Numbers from the Berry hill Hall and
School of Law voting sites were report
ed early in the evening, but after the
first announcement, no further numbers
were available.
Tentative numbers showed that Erica
Smiley captured 182 out of the 360
reported votes for student body presi
dent, with Brad Matthews second at 87
votes and write-in candidate Brian
Bersticker bringing up third place with
35 votes.
Presidential candidates expressed
concern that the sites that were report
ed are among the smallest on campus
and do not represent a large number of
undergraduate voters.
“I don’t think those initial poll sites
have any bearing,” Matthews said. “1
don’t think there is any value in making
predictions until every vote is counted.”
Matt Martin was the first presidential
candidate to arrive and stayed until the
1 a.m. announcement from the
Elections Board that prompted Student
Television officials to shut down head
quarters for the night.
He said his main concern was also
that the elections be reported as accu
rately as possible, no matter when that
might occur.
“We’ve only had a couple of small
Referendum Votes
Remain Uncertain
The referendum asking for
an increase in student fees
had received 107 votes in
favor of it and 64 against.
By Karey WITKOYVSKI
Staff Writer
Two referendums began a head start
to approval while another two started
off in a negative direction Tuesday
night.
The polling results from two sites,
Berryhill Hall and the School of Law.
gave an official glimpse into the fate of
the four referendums on Tuesday’s ballot.
Students who cast votes at the two
polling sites voted 111-210 against a
$1.50 per student per semester increase
in student fees that would allow UNC to
join the United States Student
Association, a lobbying group for high
er education.
This referendum’s presence on the
ballot was previously in limbo when
members of the executive branch real
ized the Student Congress vote to place
it on the ballot did not meet the
required two-thirds majority.
Congress Speaker Mark Kleinschmidt
then removed the referendum from the
ballot after which a group of students
sued Kleinschmidt, claiming a discrep
ancy with the Student Constitution
deemed the original vote valid.
Kleinschmidt won the lawsuit but a
successful petition drive brought the
USSA referendum back onto the ballot.
The student vote from the two sites
showed approval for an increase in stu
dent fees for the purpose of funding stu
dent organizations by a 218-122 margin.
The $3 per undergraduate student per
semester increase would bump up the
fee to sl3.
Student activities fees, which were last
increased in 1973, would help Student
Congress fund the growing number of
student organizations on campus.
APPLES, Assisting People in
Planning Learning Experiences, did not
receive a positive response to its request
for additional student fees from the two
Student Body
sf President gf
Michael Scott Harris
Votes: 25
Matthew (Matt) Grady Martin
Votes: 15
Robert Bradley (Brad)
Matthews
Votes: 87
Joshua W. Ray (Jray)
Votes: 6
Erica Kaye Smiley
Votes: 182
Preston David Smith
Votes: 10
polling sites,” he said. “I hope that they
assure the accuracy of the poll sites and
rule out suspicious activities.”
However, most of the candidates’
focuses were upon their feelings after a
long day of campaigning and a long
night of waiting for results.
“I’m not going to deny that this is a
nuisance,” Smiley said. “I’m really
tired.”
But she did not completely fault the
Elections Board. “I think that the
Elections Board has done everything
that it could, but I would still like a
definitive answer.”
Candidates Preston Smith and
Referenda
j/ Referendum #1
jvj Raise in Student Activity Fee
YES 218 NO 122
a Referendum #2
m Double Minors on Transcripts
YES 257 NO 62
Referendum#]
S3 Amendment to Join USSA
YES 111 NO 210
y Referendum #4
S3 Increase in Fees for APPLES
YES 42 NO 48
polling sites. The vote was 42-48 against
the measure.
The service-learning program, which
offers paid internships and service
courses, asked for a $1.05 increase per
semester per undergraduate student
from the current $1.95 it receives per
undergraduate student per semester.
APPLES Director Mary Morrison
said the group needed the money, espe
cially because its three-year grant from
the Carolina Center for Public Center
runs out next year. “When the grant
came through, it allowed us to expand,”
Morrison said. “We’re still going to pur
sue grant money, but we don’t want to
depend on it.” Morrison said the
increase in student fees would ensure
stable funding for the program.
Student votes from the sites indicat
ed strong approval for the placement of
double minors on diplomas.
Previously, UNC did not formally
recognize the completion of a major
and two minors on transcripts.
Through a referendum last year, stu
dents voted to have double majors put
on diplomas.
The University Editor can be reached
at udesk@unc.edu.
The Elections Board kills us every year.
The DTH Elections Team
Wednesday, February 16, 2000
Volume 107, Issue 154
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DTH'KATE MELLNIK
Campaign supporters who arrived at Sitterson Hall on Tuesday night anticipating election night excitement grow tired of waiting for results and
take naps on the floor. By 1 a.m, candidates and their supporters left the building not knowing any concrete outcomes.
Joshua Ray indicated that the delay,
although annoying, would not have an
effect on the eventual outcome of the
race and was thus not worth worrying
Night Sees Fair Share of Tension
By Geoff Wessel
Staff Writer
Following several hours of tense wait
ing, student body elections candidates
returned home in frustration early this
morning after Elections Board members
announced they faced a roadblock in
tabulating elections results.
Elections Board Vice Chairwoman
Marissa Dow ns made a 1 a.m. annouce
ment that the board was experiencing
computer problems, which an
Academic & Technology Networks rep
resentative had not fixed at press time.
Downs said the problem was caused
by a flaw in the database software.
“We don’t feel comfortable releasing
information from the offices without
making sure it’s accurate,” she said.
According to the Student Code, the
board has 96 hours to release the poll
results, she said. Board members
Pruitt Takes Early Lead in Race
Carolina Athletic Association
President Tee Pruitt had 96
votes after the first two poll
site results were counted.
By Jason Arthl rs
Staff Writer
Add frustration to the long list of
emotions felt by Carolina Athletic
Association candidates caught in this
year’s election stalemate.
The contest for CAA president
became cloud
ed with last
minute contro
versy Tuesday
when incum
bent and candi-
Ethical Charges
Fly Between
CAA Candidates
See Page 4
date Tee Pruitt was forced to write a
retraction to an e-mail message he had
sent to several campus listservs con
cerning co-candidates Michael Songer
and Adam Walters’ platform.
The controversy, although it might
not have a direct effect on election
results, caused added tension among the
about.
“What’s done is done - let the chips
fall where they may,” Smith said.
Ray said, “It doesn’t really bother me.
worked throughout the night counting
ballots by hand, and board
Chairwoman Catherine Yates said the
official word would come down today.
“We’re trying to count as accurately
as possible in the shortest amount of
time,” Downs said.
The announcement followed a night
plagued with several technical difficul
ties that delayed results from the polls.
Many students expressed frustration,
but Downs advised against a suggestion
to have at-large students help count bal
lots. “Keeping this within the Elections
Board is the most accurate and efficient
way,” she said. “We’ll get the word out
as best as we can through the proper
channels.”
Some expressed concern of delays
for the student body president runoff
race, which is scheduled for Tuesday.
See TURNOUT, Page 2
candidates’ camps
while they waited
to hear from the
elections board
Tuesday night,
Songer said.
“Tension, that
might be a bit of
an understate
ment,” said
Songer as he and
his supporters
stood alongside
Pruitt waiting for
initial election
results from two
precincts.
Tentative counts
from the Elections
Carolina Athletic
Association
sf President sf
Corey Lee
Bell Jr.
Votes: 32
Tee Pruitt II
Votes: 176
Michael Songer
& Adam Walters
Votes: 43
Board showed Pruitt with 176 votes,
Songer and Walters with 27 and Corey
Bell with 15.
However, elections officials estimated
that as many as 5,000 students voted
Tuesday. Most of these votes have yet to
be counted by elections officials.
Songer and Walters passed the time
between Elections Board announce
ments by trying to relax and playing a
What I think is important is that v/e had
a great voter turnout.”
Throughout the night, as the wait
grew longer and longer, candidates
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DTH MEREDITH LEE
Students line up at the polls Tuesday evening in Chase Hall.
These students cast their votes just before the polls closed at 7 p.m.
game of spades with friends.
Songer said he hoped the e-mail mes
sage sent early Tuesday morning would
not affect students’ votes in a runoff
because he felt he and his running mate’s
platform had been misrepresented.
“We’re tired and frustrated," Songer
said. “We have a lot of concerns about
the integrity of this election.”
Pruitt, w'ho said he was both nervous
and anxious to get the election over
w ith, said he had a couple of drinks with
friends before arriving at Sitterson Hall.
He left early to have some ftin and get
some sleep, he said. “It’s been a tough
race,” Pruitt said. “It hasn’t been fun.”
Songer and Walters said they were
still optimistic about their chances.
After they get some rest, they said
they would examine contingency plans
for a potential runoff situation.
“We really hope that if there is a
runoff, students will look into the issues
themselves,” Songer said.
“We encourage people to e mail or
call us if they have any questions.”
Pruitt ran for his second term with
See CAA, Page 2
News/Features/Arts/Sports 962-0245
Business/Advertising 962-1163
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
© 2000 DTH Publishing Corp.
All rights reserved.
began to show signs of strain and
fatigue.
See SBP, Page 2
Wednesday
The Cows Go Home
Local Food
Lions have
taken Maple
View Farms
dairy
products
off the shelf because of inventory
problems. See Page 10.
Under a Spell
Students came offstage Monday night
after being hypnotized during a show at
Memorial Hall claiming that the mystical
process has real effects. See Page 10.
Still Waiting...
Because of the Elections Board's
computer troubles Tuesday night, the
voting results in today’s paper are
unofficial and will be corrected in
upcoming issues later this week.
Today’s Weather
Sunny;
High 60s.
Thursday: Cloudy;
High 50s.