GPSA president had no right to remove items from ballot

Editor,

The right to vote is absolute and shall not be restricted in any manner whatsoever. Christopher Ramirez had no right to remove three questions from the ballot when the council voted to include them in the election. Limiting speech through manipulated elections is unacceptable and should not be tolerated.

Ramirez is trying to absolve himself from the fault that is his and his alone. This "mistake" could have been prevented if he had acted in accordance with his job description and read the resolution or the meeting notes.

I am positive the UNM administration would condemn limiting speech through the manipulation of an election. A full investigation needs to be conducted so we can identify every individual connected with this sham. This investigation should be unbiased, and the person leading the investigation should not be tied to him or his administration.

Free and fair elections are of paramount importance to people across the political spectrum. Elections are not a liberal issue, and they are not a conservative issue. A free and fair election is at the root of our political system. If students learn not to trust elections in college, they will be less likely to engage in the political process when they graduate.

A special election is warranted, and the council should seriously consider adding a vote of no confidence in Ramirez and his administration. Elections should not be altered with "anecdotal" conversations. John Adams said: "We should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the danger to our liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous and independent elections."

Isaac Padilla

Former GPSA finance chairman