| Show Votes on referendum not counted by outside agency Christa McKinnon Amanda Hughes 4 Managing Editor News Editor I FTER student inquiry AFTER about how the Nov 13 referendum ballots vere counted it was discovered discovered discovered dis dis- I covered that due to last I minute adjustments an independent independent inde inde- j pendent outside organization was not available to count i ithe the ballots Instead Curtis Smout director of the College Col Col- College ot- ot lege Center Gordon Wilson director of Student Activities 1 and Ryck Luthi associate director of the U of U Union tallied the votes at Smout's house According to Dennis Butler Butler Butler But But- ler senate parliamentarian and Marshall Gardner president president president dent of the student senate an independent organization was supposed to tally the votes senate created a smoking committee that was responsible for finding an organization However no such organization was found Wilson explained Nobody picked up the ball There were several senators on the committee that were fired up and let it go i According to Wilson and Smout the ballots were counted and verified at i Smout's house because arrangements arrangements arran- arran I were never made by bythe I Ithe the he smoking committee to be I counted for by independent 1 organization The day after 1 j the he referendum Wilson and i Smout mout asked Luthi for help j jand and verification of votes i j Smout mout said There was a i document that verified the count The College Center passed gassed assed as smoking non-smoking by a i 72 vote margin Luthi according to Smout served as an independent independent independent inde pendent source that is not connected with Smout also said that he and Luthi had been friends for many years He Luthi is as close as a brother Smout for said Ive done things him and hes he's done things for me Luthi said The liThe honesty honesty hones hones- ty and integrity are there It would have made no difference dif dif- difference difference dif dif- ference whether Curtis and I were friends or not Luthi said I counted them the ballots myself tie lie said he worked on Curtiss Curtis's kitchen table Luthi added that Wilson and Smout mout were in the living room when the ballots were counted However when questioned about the actual counting ousting of the ballots both Wilson and Smout said that they hey were vere in the kitchen when Nhen the counting took place lace I even helped stack them hem in stacks and I probably even given helped him count said Smout mout People are arc suspicious of me ne because I am part of the administration and I wasn't supposed to have anything to todo todo todo do with it Smout said the process of tabulation of votes was but questioned why tie the situation was being dug up eight weeks later After the votes were cast students stu- stu students students stu stu- dents and faculty were not informed of the change in plans Smout said that he still has the ballots and would agree to a recount In the administration meeting that made the final decision for a smokeless college college college col col- col- col lege center Smout abstained from the vote t TI y l. l r I k I n nN nt N t n h p c 7 b 1 y r t ib oS Jt 0 tW t- t W Wr 6 r l Some smoking students are now forced to smoke outside because the south cafeteria has been smoking non-smoking since Jan 1 |
