The Inter-Residence Hall Association will vote on whether bylaws should be changed so that future candidates can win by a plurality of votes.

The current election bylaw requires a simple majority, or 50 percent of the votes plus one. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Gallery Room of the Memorial Union on Thursday.

Keith Twombley, IRHA president-elect, initiated the election bylaw proposal after winning 48.9 percent of the votes in the initial election for president, but losing the race due to write-in votes, despite his 10-vote victory over the competing slate.

Twombley and his running mate, Jessica Raim, ultimately won after a second election last Thursday.

“I think that what the people want as voters is important and if we totally disregard who they want as the president or any elected official, that is the wrong thing to do,” Twombley said.

Some IRHA members disagree with his proposal, but Twombley said he thinks the majority will vote for the proposed changes.

“There are a few dissenters and their points aren’t without merit, but all in all I think most people will see this is a needed change to the way our election system works,” Twombley said.

“In cases where there are more than two candidates running, those who disagree [with the proposal] don’t feel the person should win without a clearly defined majority, because then, in theory, a person could get only 34 percent and win. Some people don’t feel that’s right.”

Members will vote on another bylaw issue – a proposal to change the election bylaws so the election commissioner is responsible for holding only one candidate forum during elections.

Dave Boike, IRHA vice president, said the new business to be discussed includes a bill requesting approximately $8,000 for the planning of the National Association of College and University Residence Halls 2004, a bylaw bill to remove the requirement for the person running for director of conferences to have attended a conference previously and a bylaw bill to remove the position of director of academic affairs from IRHA. Two funding bills proposing the purchase of a CD-R drive for the IRHA computer for extra back-up and the purchase of Macromedia Dreamweaver for the IRHA Web site will also be voted on.

Natasha Krentz, current director of conferences and former director of academic affairs, said she disagrees with both of the bylaw proposals.

“It’s very, very important for the director of conferences to have [attended] a conference because they put together the delegation and support the delegates,” Krentz said.

“If they haven’t gone they can’t help and it’s one of their primary jobs.”

Removing the director of academic affairs would not be conducive to reminding students that academic excellence is an important part of college, Krentz said.

“They want to remove the position completely because they don’t think there is anything for the director of academic affairs to do,” she said.

“But everyone in the residence halls are students, and there needs to be someone who’s doing something to remind students that academics are just as important as leadership.”