Three election code violations related with campaign marketing occurred during this month’s Associated Students Inc. (ASI) elections.
Of the 2,306 total votes cast, 90 combined votes were deducted because the candidates displayed posters in areas that are not permitted for marketing.
“Since the violations occurred the week of the results, there was not much that could have been done to address the issues in terms of fairness and who got a lot of exposure, despite the fact that they were violating where they were allowed to market,” said ASI Elections Chair Maricruz Santander, a third-year political science major.
Presidential candidates were deducted 25 votes per violation and senator position candidates were deducted 15 votes per violation.
Pasindu Senaratne, third-year business major and Rachel Hunter, third year-political science major, were deducted 25 votes for hanging posters on the fence near The Den by Denny’s, leaving them with 886 votes, which still won them the ASI president and vice president positions.
Joshua Hernandez, third-year technology and operations management major, and Fernando Andrade, second-year political science major, were deducted 50 votes from their total of 542 for posters in the old and new parking structures, leaving them with a total of 492 votes.
Valerie Silguero, third-year sociology major, ran for senator of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences and was deducted 15 votes from her total of 152 for taping a poster on a window at the Farm Store.
“[The candidates] understood what happened,” Santander said. “They took it for what it is. Since all of the violations had to do with marketing, it was not that big, nothing crazy.”
Before any action was taken on the infringement, an ASI election violation form was completed and submitted to the Office of Student Life and Cultural Centers. Then, Santander reviewed all cases of alleged violations of the elections code in consultation with the elections advisor, La’Keisha Beard, and members of the Elections Committee.
