IOP Rejects Vice Presidential Expansion, Split-Ticket Proposal in Constitutional Vote

The Harvard Institute of Politics Student Advisory Committee rejected two governance amendments on Monday night, leaving the organization’s leadership structure untouched while approving narrower changes to its election rules.

Members voted to eliminate the Community Action Committee, removing it from the IOP’s official program roster and ending its status as an elected position, according to one SAC member in attendance.

They also approved a formal write-in option, requiring write-in candidates to register with the Election Commission, meet eligibility requirements, and follow standard campaign rules before votes can be counted.

Each of the four proposals — circulated to members 72 hours before the meeting — required a two-thirds majority under the IOP constitution.

The write-in measure was introduced to address concerns about cancelled elections and ensuring that all candidates, even those launching a write-in campaign, would adhere to election commission guidelines, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

The two rejected amendments drew public opposition from former IOP Treasurer Kevin A. Bokoum ’26, who returned to the meeting to argue against them, the member said.

Bokoum has played a prominent role in recent constitutional debates and last December, introduced an amendment widely viewed as an effort to block a proposed co-presidency model championed by then-incoming president Lorenzo Z. Ruiz ’27 and vice president William M. Smialek ’27.

The first rejected amendment would have expanded the vice president’s role, which the constitution currently defines only as assisting the president.

The proposal formally assigned the vice president responsibility for coordinating appointed directors, managing alumni and campus relations, supporting public service initiatives, and leading special projects — duties supporters said had long been carried out informally.

Bokoum argued the new duties overlapped with existing positions and risked concentrating too much authority in one office, according to the member. Formalizing them, he said, would undermine the purpose of the executive team.

He instead suggested a narrower revision that would clarify the Vice President position without undercutting other roles.

Ruiz wrote in a statement that the executive team “introduced a provision to align the constitutional description of the Vice Presidency with a refined set of historical responsibilities.”

He added that the amendment “was intended to ensure, were de-ticketing to pass, the next election would provide all candidates with a clear vision of the separate roles.”

“With the failure of de-ticketing, the need to clarify discrete portfolios is lowered,” he wrote.

The second rejected amendment would have separated the elections for president and vice president, which are currently contested on a joint ticket. Under the proposal, the two candidates would have run independently, with separate speeches, question-and-answer sessions, and ballot lines.

Supporters pointed to the possibility of contested elections in the future — last fall’s race was uncontested — and to the growing competitiveness of executive office at the IOP. Some said candidates were spending months forming tickets and engaging in coffee chats beginning in the spring — a dynamic they did not believe the IOP should be encouraging, the member said.

Opponents countered that the amendment risked undermining a cohesive governance vision and warned that a split ticket could deepen internal division, the member added. Effective leadership, they argued, depends on the two officers running together with a clear vision and a clear pathway.

The rejected amendments would require a new proposal and another two-thirds vote to be revisited. The current executive team’s term runs through the end of the calendar year.

—Staff writer Sophia E. Alcacer can be reached at [email protected] and Signal at sophiaalcacer.88. Follow her on X at @sophiaalcacer.

—Staff writer Jen L. Phan can be reached at [email protected] and Signal at jenphan.74. Follow her on X at @jenllphan.