Ballot errors prolong election

The Residence Hall Association declared Connect the winner of the RHA elections Wednesday afternoon, but the results were thrown into turmoil hours later after the discovery that a ballot box in Eigenmann Hall was opened late on election day, disenfranchising more than 100 voters, said Elections Commissioner senior Eric Hafner.\nPolls in Eigenmann will be open an additional three hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday to allow all residents a chance to cast their votes. \nHafner said the Eigenmann elections coordinator mistakenly believed the ballot box would be delivered to him on election day. In fact, it had already been delivered the night before.\n"We missed student votes, and we are going to open up elections and let them have a chance to have their voice be heard," Hafner said.\nNo campaigning will be allowed during the three-hour period.\nThe Eigenmann error has single-handidly resurrected the Amplify ticket and turned Eigenmann Hall into a delirious center of last-ditch campaigning by both parties.\nWednesday afternoon, Amplify's campaign was all but finished as RHA declared Connect the winner of the 2004 election. The party swept the race, RHA announced, with all four Connect candidates beating their respective Amplify opponents by more than 50 votes. \nNow, Amplify presidential candidate Jon Greene said he feels good about his party's chances to pull ahead of Connect. \n"All of us have a glimmer of hope that this could turn it around," Greene said. "We still have a chance."\nConnect candidates said they hope their victory celebrations have simply been postponed. \n"I understand it was just a mistake," said Jon Palmer, presidential candidate for Connect. "I want to give every student the opportunity to voice their opinion. If it wasn't fair, then they should get that chance."\nPalmer said his party will focus on rallying residents at Eigenmann Thursday and Friday morning.\n"Once 11 o'clock rolls around, we will be out of the building," he said.