ASM Chair Dispute Ends After 2/3 Vote Rule Blocks Final Appeal

The Associated Students of Madison (ASM) chair election dispute has reached its final legal end. On Sept. 29, the student judiciary dismissed the second petitioner's brief filed by Rep. Michael Harry, a candidate who lost the spring race for the 33rd session chair. This decision closes the final procedural challenge to the outcome of the vote held on April 24.

Harry first challenged the election results on April 30, arguing that meeting rules were broken and that the Chief Justice did not preside over the proceedings. He amended that initial filing on Sept. 14 to request that alleged violators be disqualified from future chair elections. The judiciary issued an order on Sept. 8, which allowed his brief to be discussed as a special order at the Sept. 16 student council meeting. That order modified an earlier version issued in April.

The critical hurdle occurred at the Sept. 16 meeting. ASM representatives voted to adopt the special order, but the motion failed to meet the required two-thirds majority. While a majority of representatives voted in favor, the tally fell short of the threshold. Had the motion passed, the representatives could have re-elected their 33rd session chair by a simple majority vote. Harry’s second brief, filed on Sept. 22, argued that the two-thirds requirement lacked precedent.

The student judiciary’s dismissal notice states that a majority of student justices recused themselves from deciding the brief. Chief Justice Chloe Sieman, whose recusal Harry had requested, was among those who stepped back. Because of these recusals, the judiciary did not assign a full panel to hear the case. Sieman, Harry, and the judiciary all declined to provide further comment on the dismissal.

ASM Chair Haia Al Zein reacted to the ruling in a statement to The Daily Cardinal. "The Student Judiciary's decision gives me hope for the remainder of the 33rd session, and I hope it serves as an opportunity for us to work more collaboratively and move forward in greater unity," Al Zein said. The dismissal confirms her retention of the role following the April 24 election.