The Undergraduate Council voted last night to invalidate last week's student referendum on a $10 term bill hike, and to solicit an outside party to hold another one, beginning a week from today.

The new referendum will include questions on the fee hike and on last year's council decision to rescind the option students have to check a box on their term bills to waive the council fee.

Ballots from the original referendum have not been counted, and are currently locked up in the council office.

In an executive interpretation, President Carey W. Gabay '94 said the council's conduct during last week's referendum violated its constitution, moved to invalidate the referendum.

Gabay specifically said the council had violated its by-laws when it allowed delegates to table in their own houses.

The council voted 28-23 uphold Gabay's decision, attaining the required majority.

Gabay's decision came after a vote on a similar motion from the floor to invalidate failed to attain the two thirds majority necessary to pass.

This motion--in the which the selections of individual council members were recorded as part of a roll-call vote--failed with 30 for and 22 against invalidation.

But there were "a number of other things" that led to Gabay's decision.

Allegations surfaced last week that tabling in houses and the Freshman Union was not conducted at all specified times, that council members who were tabling in their houses illegally tried to persuade voters, and that few safeguards were taken to prevent students from voting more than once.

"One offense isn't enough to invalidate the referendum," Gabay said. "But if you put them all together, they become grand enough to invalidate it."

Gabay also said that it would be "hypocritical"for the council to ignore its own rules.

"We can't just follow the constitution whenit's in our best interests to do so," Gabay said."If we're going to follow just some of it, weshouldn't follow any of it."

Vice President Joshua D. Liston '95, theofficial administrator of the election, arguedagainst its invalidation.

Liston said the council should base itsdecision on complaints it received, rather than onthe advice of Dean of Students Archie C. Epps IIIor public gripes.

"as the executive officer in charge of runningthis election, I received no written complaintsfrom students," Liston said.