Undergraduate Council election supervisor R. Gin Lo '94 and former Chair David A. Aronberg '92 yesterday disputed the council treasurer's claim that absentee ballots should have counted in the run-off for the vice presidential election.

Council Treasurer Rene Reyes '95 said he was deprived of his rightful post as council vice president on October 17 because the four absentee ballots--all cast for Reyes--would have given him the necessary votes to beat Melissa Garza '94 in the run-off. Reyes and Garza received the most votes among the four candidates in the first round.

While Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III and council President Carey W. Gabay '94 urged further deliberation, Lo and Aronberg defended their decision to discard the absentee ballots for the run-off election.

"We saw the run-off as a separate election from the first vice presidential race," Lo said. "We weren't about to use ballots that were cast in one election to determine another, and that's all this is about."

Lo said the decision was made by an "impartial triumvirate" appointed by the council to count the ballots. This three-person committee was comprised of Lo, Aronberg '92, and former council member Steven N. Kalkanis '93.

"It seemed obvious, though, that the absentee ballots would only be good for the first election," Aronberg said.

Aronberg said the decision not to count the ballots was "unanimous and immediate, not even a question that anyone felt warranted debate."

Reyes' "designated teller," an impartial observer of the ballot counting to which each candidate is entitled according to last spring's constitution, was his roommate, Robert R. Zamacona '95.

After the election, Zamacona told Reyes of the four absentee ballots which were cast for him, but which were not re-counted in the run-off election that followed the first round--where four candidates were narrowed down to two.

The day following the election, Zamacona drafted a letter that addressed his concerns that the election was conducted unfairly. He sent the letter to Epps, Gabay and Lo.

Lo said the letter claimed that she "made an arbitrary decision not to accept the ballots the secondtime."

Reyes' allegation prompted Epps to call aseries of meetings last week to discuss thesituation with Lo and various council executives,including Garza, Gabay and council ParliamentarianDavid A. Smith '94.

"I think that the questions here which need tobe investigated are what the council constitutionsays, and if nothing, then what Roberts' Rules ofOrder say, assuming that Roberts' Rules thengovern council procedure," Epps said.

Article IV, Section 41 of the council'sconstitution, which addresses the election ofcouncil officers, does not mention absenteeballots. But Mark D. McKay '94, a member of thereevaluation committee that drafted the newconstitution, said the omission was an oversight.

The executive council will meet today withMarkham Professor of Government H. Douglas Price,who will advise the group on parliamentaryprocedure.

"Since it wasn't mentioned, we need to bedeciding on not only procedure but the intent ofthe constitution as well," Gabay said.