449 signatures or zero signatures, these students are not being recognized to be a part of our democratic process.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Student Association Independent Elections Commissioner, Ada Hyso, announced this week that nominees from both parties will appear on the presidential ballot in the elections later this month.

Hyso awarded nine more votes to Carlo Albano and his running mate, Albulena Shabani, after she found votes from Academic Opportunity Center students were not counted during the initial validation process. Albano now has 449 votes.

Hyso did not return several phone messages seeking comment.

Earlier, SA Sen. Robert Henry Grover, with Amanda Voigtlander as his vice presidential candidate, had been approved as a candidate with 459 signatures, while Carlo Albano was not approved as a candidate, as he had only 440 signatures.

Presidential candidates need 450 signatures to be eligible. Both Grover and Albano said they submitted forms with around 600 signatures.

At an appeals meeting on Thursday, Hyso declared Milwaukee Panther Party candidates would be printed on the ballot as Independent.

Albano finished second last year in the race for SA president. He and his running mate, vice presidential candidate Madeline Martin, lost to Samantha Prahl and Jon Tingley, who won the four-way race for SA president.

I think its good multiple people are on the ballot, Grover said. But he said he disagreed that certain exemptions can be made for some candidates. It undermines the system, he said.

Grover said that some in the SUFC party are choosing to appeal Hysos decision to allow Albano and Shabani on the ballot even though they are one vote short of official nomination. Albano and Shabani said they are planning on submitting violations against Hyso for her decisions in the election process.

Albano said, 449 signatures or zero signatures, these students are not being recognized to be a part of our democratic process.

He said he has very little hope for a level playing ground in the election.

Albano said the universitys standard to verifying signatures is different from that of the IECs.

Shabani said there was a different validation process this year and that candidates were not made aware of them. She said there had been a glitch in a computer system that overlooked signatures from the academic center.

Students United for Change is excited to make real change for students and the Student Association next year, Grover said.

Earlier this year, the Student Association Senate amended the IEC bylaws to allow the commissioner to have greater authority in deciding matters related to elections.

Before that, the commissioners powers were limited in some ways. Among them, the commission did not have sole discretion on deciding how to count signatures on nominees packets.

The elections are to be held on April 26 and 27.

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