The Graduate Student Senate may have violated Oklahoma Open Meeting statutes Sunday night after passing two pieces of legislation during the group’s regular meeting without notifying the public.

The public is to be notified of group business in writing 24 hours prior to a meeting unless business is new, not known about or “could not have been reasonably foreseen prior to the time of posting,” according to the act.

Election chairwoman Natalie Jester authored two pieces of legislation that were introduced Sunday. Jester proposed the nomination of five new members to the spring election board, as well as the establishment of polling sites for the election. Both pieces of legislation were passed unanimously, yet neither were posted on the Senate’s online agenda prior to the meeting.

Graduate Student Senate Chair Derrell Cox said the decision was made to propose the bills despite the lack of public notice.

“It was our consensus in the executive meeting that [the legislation] would go forward,” Cox said. “I don’t know exactly who dropped the ball, but someone within the Senate dropped the ball in getting that posted.”

Jester said she was unaware the legislation was not posted to the agenda.

“I submitted my two pieces of legislation to both the secretary and chairs of congress and GSS last Monday so that everything could be looked over,” Jester said.

George Ahmadi, GSS adviser, said members of the Senate weren’t made aware of the pressing nature of the polling deadline until 7 p.m. Sunday, when the meeting began.

“I don’t think that what happened last night was in violation of the Open Meetings Act based on my reading,” Cox said.

According to the Code Annotated, which governs all spring election policies and deadlines, “the number and location of polling places shall be established by an Act of the Legislative Branch at least three academic weeks before each election.”

Though UOSA elections are four weeks away — March 29 and 30 — Sunday’s meeting was the last opportunity to pass the legislation in accordance with the three-academic-week rule because the Senate will not meet again until March 6.