Election date changes and bad communications are messing up the Student Association executive elections scheduled sometime next week, SA officials said.

“I think that what is going on is a gross example of incompetence,” said Sen. Kelly Marie McDonald, a presidential candidate.

McDonald said she is getting mixed signals about the time and date of a debate with her opponent, Senate Speaker Preston Came.

McDonald said she expected to hold a debate Wednesday night, but was told it was cancelled at the last minute.

The date was set back to Thursday, but Came and McDonald said they were not told about the time and location, so it was cancelled again.

SA Elections Commissioner Alfred Tatum, who tried to set up the debates, said “nobody really knows” who should take responsibility for them.

Tatum said he was told only recently that he was expected to organize the debates.

He also said he wanted to change the election dates from March 26 and 27 to March 27 and 28. The former dates approved by the SA Senate were done without telling him, Tatum said.

When asked if changing election dates would be unconstitutional, Tatum said “that would not be my fault.”

Came said he was concerned about the lack of communication. “I don’t know if people think we are psychic or what,” he said.

“This type of confusion is just taking away from what I am trying to say to the NIU community,” Came said.

SA President Robert McCormack said SA Vice President Tanya Smith is supposed to make sure Tatum is doing his job.

“I am responsible for my staff,” McCormack said. “If they are messing up, then I am supposed to get in there and solve the problem.

“If the candidates are complaining, which they are, it is Tanya’s obligation to step in there and find out what is going on,” he said.

“Tanya Smith has to demonstrate leadership in this situation,” McCormack said.

Smith said she has talked to Tatum about the election, but would not be specific about what was said. She said Tatum asked for her opinion on certain election issues.

“Evidently there was some miscommunication,” Smith said about the election problems.

Came said he would invite Tatum to this Sunday’s SA Senate meeting to talk about election date changes.