After voting on a new speaker for the Student Association (SA) Senate at a Nov. 11 meeting, the senators must decide who will be the speaker yet again.

SA Senate Speaker Austin Quick said the re-election is happening because the original results of the last election were not decided according to Robert’s Rules of Order. Quick said the speaker could not limit the election to two candidates during the second round of voting.

“There was an irregularity in the voting,” Quick said. “I was unaware of the process of tied votes.”

The SA Rules and Procedures Committee voted 4-2 to have a re-election for the speaker position at a Sunday meeting, Quick said.

According to SA bylaws, the speaker manages all affairs of the Senate. The Senate is one of the three governing branches of the SA, which includes the executive branch and the Supreme Court branch. The SA is funded by student activity fees and is responsible for managing student organizations and student services.

In the original elections, SA Senate Clerk Chad Harris and Brian Troutman, former president pro tempore, dropped out of the race. The vote for the next speaker was then between senators Mike Theodore, James Zanayed and James Alford.

After the first round of voting, Zanayed and Theodore were tied at 15 votes and Alford received two votes. Quick called for a second round of voting between Zanayed and Theodore. Theodore won after the second round.

Theodore said he is a little worried the transition period for the speaker is going to be shorter.

“The election’s going to happen, and then there’s just going to be a few weeks until the new speaker has to take over,” Theodore said.

Zanayed said he was not concerned about the transition period.

“I’m not really worried because all the candidates are ready,” Zanayed said.

He said the elections need to happen or the SA Supreme Court would have to make a ruling on who will be the speaker.

The next speaker elections will be held at a Dec. 2 Senate meeting. Alford, Theodore and Zanayed will run again as speakers, Quick said. The Senators may vote for anyone at the meeting, he said.

Alford could not be reached for comment as of press time.