By Elizabeth Faragi

The University of Maryland Student Government passed a bill 17-1-1 that initially included proposed amendments to reinstate JusticeUMD and RollTerps candidates from disqualified election tickets.  

At its final general body meeting of the semester Wednesday, the SGA reviewed its bylaws in an omnibus bill, which contains all proposed amendments to the bylaws in one act. The bylaws outline the rules and regulations that dictate SGA operations. 

More than 50 amendments were passed in this bill, according to SGA documents. 

This year’s bill originally included amendments that would change the results of the 2026 SGA elections, but they were informally rejected before the omnibus bill passed. 

The SGA proposed at the April 22 meeting amendments to the new bylaws that could reinstate the JusticeUMD and RollTerps tickets, which were previously disqualified. 

At the April 29 meeting, legislators voted informally to approve or reject all the proposed amendments in the bill. All the approved amendments go into effect with the passing of the omnibus bill. 

Legislators at this meeting rejected an amendment to allow the SGA governing body to fill vacant positions through popular vote if more than half of legislative positions are left vacant due to election disqualifications, according to SGA documents. The amendment was rejected 11-12-2. 

SGA President Dhruvak Mirani believes that rejecting the bylaws that would affect the elections was the right call. 

“During the discussions, I told members of the legislature that it would be highly unethical to retroactively modify election rules that the body itself voted to approve, especially considering many incumbents participated in the election,” Mirani said in a statement to Stories Beneath the Shell. “Rejecting these amendments was the right call.”

Another amendment proposed that election violations could not disqualify an “otherwise eligible ticket,” according to original documents obtained by Stories Beneath the Shell. This amendment was retracted Monday night from public SGA documents. 

Both amendments would apply retroactively, meaning that the previously disqualified JusticeUMD and RollTerps tickets could be reinstated. 

UMD’s Resident Hall Association and the Graduate Student Government wrote a letter to the SGA on April 28 saying they would cut all ties with SGA if they approved these election bylaws. 

Keegan Clements-Housser, GSG president, said he was glad these bylaws were rejected at the April 29 meeting. 

“We are rather wary of the fact that the vote was split; we do find it concerning that so many legislators were willing to move forward with the amendments, even after hearing from several of their leaders how damaging and dangerous such a move would be,” Clements-Housser said in a statement. “Provided the amendments remain absent from the final omnibus bill, we will be glad to move forward in partnership with SGA without reservation.”

Clements-Housser echoed his relief after the bill passed with no reintroduction of the elections bylaws. 

“While we recognize the difficulty that abiding by their own election rules will pose for their government, especially next year, it was the ethical and responsible thing to do,” Clements-Houser said. We are glad that enough of our SGA colleagues recognized that fact to make good on it.” 

SGA Vice President Riona Sheikh and Speaker of the Legislature Diego Henriquez did not reply to a request to comment. RHA President Emily Shoemaker also did not reply to a request for comment.

Featured Image: Front of McKeldin Library on Feb. 24, 2026. Photo by Paige Trendell.