A campus wide electrical blackout may have put university operations on hold Monday, but it failed to stop voters from casting their votes during the Student Government Association’s general elections.
According to university officials, the power outrage was a planned one at first until an unexpected electrical problem forced the power outage from a 10 minute ordeal into a nearly three hour set back.
Classes were cancelled and administrative offices closed, but in the Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Union, things had to continue on as planned.
As technicians scrambled to return the power, SGA officials scrambled to find generators and solutions to ensure student voters would be able to cast their ballots for student leaders.
A timeline of events:
2 p.m. – The lights go out.
2:13 p.m. – Lawrence LaBee, SGA elections commissioner, says the electronic voting machines should be able to operate on battery power for at least one hour and forty-five minutes.
“Voting has not faulted because the lights are out,” LaBee said. “We are taking (the) measure of getting generators so the voting does not stop.”
2:15 p.m. – according to Lt. Charlene Anderson of the Southern University Police Department, the cause for the power outage on campus was due to blowout of an electrical transformer.
“It (wasn’t) a SU problem, it was a Entergy problem,” Anderson said.
2:42 p.m. – LaBee summons all candidates into a private conference to ease minds and dismiss rumors.
“This meeting is to inform you (candidates) that generators are being delivered to continue the elections,” he said.
Some candidates for office said they expected provisional ballots to be issued if generators weren’t promptly available.
“We will not be disturbed about the election,” said Carey Ash, presidential hopeful and later announced President-elect. “That’s the whole purpose of SGA, to solve problems as they come.”
3:00 p.m. – generators delivered in the Union and voting continues as planned.