Energy Secretary Rick Perry, former governor of Texas and Texas A&M University Aggies Yell Leader, wrote an editorial for the Houston Chronicle Wednesday decrying the circumstances that led to the election of the school's first openly gay student body president.
Perry claimed the election was "stolen" by winner Bobby Brooks from the student who won the most votes, Robert McIntosh, who had been disqualified in a way that "made a mockery of due process and transparency," because the Student Government Association wanted more diversity in the traditionally conservative school.
McIntosh was disqualified over charges that he failed to provide receipts for glow sticks he used in one of his campaign videos. The association also leveled voter intimidation charges against him, but those were dismissed.
According to Perry, the students' Judicial Court "admitted that the charges were minor and technical, but incredibly, chose to uphold the disqualification."
"The desire of the electorate is overturned, and thousands of student votes are disqualified, because of free glow sticks that appeared for eleven seconds of a months-long campaign," Perry continued. "
Apparently glow sticks merit the same punishment as voter intimidation."
The secretary then questioned if the association would have been less strict if McIntosh hadn't been a straight, white man.
"What if Mr. Brooks had been the candidate disqualified? Would the administration and the student body have allowed the first gay student body president to be voided for using charity glow sticks? Would the student body have allowed a black student body president to be disqualified on anonymous charges of voter intimidation?"
The Chronicle asked Texas politics experts for their opinion on Perry's choice to submit an editorial on a college student body president's election while a member of President Donald Trump's cabinet.
"This must be his inner Aggie speaking, because this is certainly not something you expect a cabinet secretary to weigh in on — actually, probably not even a governor," said Rice University political science professor Mark Jones, who's followed Perry's career for years.
"It's strange. Of all the things he could have an opinion on, this is probably not the smartest move for a cabinet secretary. He must really be upset about it."
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