Hundreds of UIC International Students Disenfranchised in Student Election Investigation Finds
A UIC Student Justice Coalition investigation concludes that at least 450 overwhelmingly international students were robbed of their right to vote in student elections.
NOTE: All information in this article is corroborated by evidence and a full report that is linked at the end of this article.
The University of Illinois at Chicago is a very respected research university and a top choice for many Chicago natives to continue their secondary education. It’s a prestigious institution adored by students and alumni alike. That’s why the revelation of massive voter disenfranchisement comes as a shock. After a months-long investigation involving meetings with administrators, information requests, and interviews with students, it has been concluded that at least 450 students, most of whom are international, were robbed of their right to vote. Students that pay the same and sometimes more than domestic students in tuition and fees. Despite their paying into the system, their right to representation was taken away.
How Did We Get Here?
The Spring 2019 Student Election allowed students to vote on the Student Representative for the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, the Undergraduate Student Government President and Vice President, Undergraduate Student Government Representatives, members of the Student Senate, and a referendum on student fees. At UIC, these elections are conducted electronically through the school’s website. When the polls opened on election day, they were riddled with errors resulting in incomplete ballots and some students being denied the ability to vote. It was a few hours before a statement was put out by the Dean of Students Office stating that the issues were resolved. The election continued, but the same issues continued to plague the voting process, as many were still receiving errors over the two-day election process. It was later discovered that these problems were mainly affecting international students and those in the UIC Global program. After the election concluded, candidates and concerned students met and discussed what had transpired. A coalition was formed and an investigation was launched.
Investigative Findings and Conclusions
Throughout the investigation, the Dean of Students Office consistently downplayed the importance of the issue and insisted that few students were affected by the voting errors. It was not until a full report was obtained from the IT Department that the full scope of the damage was known.
The investigation found gross negligence in the administering of the election. It has been found that the process is unconstitutional according to the Undergraduate Student Government Constitution. The election does not reflect a free and fair democratic process. Furthermore, the process lacked an open process of judicial review to address issues. It is because of this that we conclude that the UIC April 2019 Student Election and its results are illegitimate.
The UIC Dean of Students Office has not taken this miscarriage of justice seriously enough to warrant action. The disenfranchisement of the international student community harms a group that has historically had issues with the University of Illinois System which has been accused of profiteering off of these students. This is a student rights issue, such disregard for democratic principles is especially dangerous in a time when our nation is being shaken by rampant voter disenfranchisement.
This election has wide-reaching effects on UIC and the U of I system as a whole. The office of the Student Representative on the U of I Board of Trustees is a powerful position that can influence policy for the entire U of I system. The President and Vice President of the Undergraduate Student Government are paid, have large sway with the administration on policy, and oversee a roughly $110,000.00 budget. Members of the Student Senate advise the administration on university policy decisions. This election is substantial to the future of the university, and a major constituency of students were denied their right to have a say in it.
What You Can Do to Help
The UIC Student Justice Coalition is calling for the University of Illinois at Chicago Administration to take action on this issue. Join us in this call by signing our petition!
Learn More
If you would like a more in-depth look at our investigation and the evidence we have compiled, check out our google drive for our full report!
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1IXi2lpmlRzCv1emHFob5qR-3_eImecu-
Who We Are
We, the UIC Student Justice Coalition, are a coalition of students united around the belief that the rights of students need to be upheld and protected. We are dedicated to justice.
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