Council Weighs Election Reform, Approves Report on House System

In an effort to remove what Elections Committee Chairman Daniel A. Pollack '60 called "the glaring inadequacies" of recent elections, the Student Council last night gave tacit approval to sweeping changes in balloting procedure. Final action on the proposed reforms was postponed, however, until next week.

In its detailed report, the temporary committee on elections advocated a primary to procede the voting for Class Marshals. This would cut the number of candidates to eight and "increase solidarity behind the winners."

The report also called for the establishment of a permanent committee consisting of House Election Chairmen and Council representatives to supervise vote tallying. Rigid controls provided by this group would, the Council felt, "remove as far as possible any element of arbitrary choice or personal preference."

Acceptance Delayed

While approving the sense of these recommendations, members of the Council tabled a motion to accept the report in order to discuss the matter with their constituents.

The Council failed to reach agreement on one aspect of the report, which urged that the Masters participate in the nomination of candidates for the Permanent Class Committee. According to this suggestion, each Master would nominate four men who normally would be unwilling to "engage in what often becomes a purely political contest."

Theodore R. Marmor '60 charged that such a system would "put a stigma on those not nominated by the Masters." After considerable debate, this section of the report was sent back to the committee for further study.

Additional reforms would standardize the dates and procedure for all elections and place tight controls on campaigning.