In the course of a three-and-a half-hour meeting, the Associated Students Legislative Council approved a bill to restructure the A.S. electoral process.

The modifications to the A.S. Elections Code include placing designated polling areas on campus, shortening the campaigning period to one week instead of two and leaving the names of disqualified candidates on the ballot.

Some members voiced concerns that keeping the names of disqualified candidates on the ballot would take valuable votes away from eligible candidates.

However, Rep-at-Large Paula Reever said disqualified candidates could win their appeals and petition for a re-election, creating more problems than would have arisen if the names were left on the ballot in the fist place.

“According to the Legal Code, if you take [a candidate’s] name off the ballot and they appeal and win their appeal, they can appeal for a re-election,” Reever said. “We should finally pass this bill after having tabled it for four-and-a-half months.”

Off-Campus Rep Darshan Grover said the board should take their time and vote wisely in order to prevent last year’s problems from being repeated.

“We need to make this right,” Grover said. “We don’t want to go through what we went through last year. It was a total screw-up. We need to produce a piece of writing that makes sense to legislative council and students. We should table this again because there are still concepts that haven’t been addressed.”

The council passed the bill following the discussion.

Meanwhile, Rep-at-Large Husayn Hasan asked the board whether they felt comfortable with him writing a column for the Daily Nexus reflecting on his experiences in Legislative Council.

Rep-at-Large Faris Shalan said he was against the idea of Hasan representing the council.

“I don’t feel comfortable having one person as the face, image of A.S.,” Shalan said. “I don’t feel comfortable having one person being the representative for all of us. [The articles] should be written by Leg council or approved by Leg council.”

However, Hasan said that he would not be representing the council as a whole, but merely expressing his own opinions.

“I will make sure to say I’m representing my own opinions,” Hasan said. “One of our legislative duties is to make public statements. This will count as mine. I’m not getting approved by you – I just wanted your thoughts and opinions. I’ve already submitted the piece for consideration, but if it’s going to be a huge problem, I can withdraw it.”