Some Student Association candidates utilized separate rules that other groups have for elections by postering sooner than SA rules permitted Wednesday evening.
A few SA candidates put Program Board and Marvin Center Governing Board posters up earlier than 5:30 p.m., the designated time established by the Student Association Election Committee. At 5:30 p.m., some SA candidates and supporters removed the PB and MCGB posters and put their posters up in more visible campus locations such as walls outside the Marvin Center.
The PB and MCGB have a separate election committee and therefore have different rules from the SA. PB and MCGB refrained from setting times for postering.
Though this was not breaking election rules, some SA candidates said they felt this was unfair. SA presidential candidate David Burt said he refused to participate in reserving space early.
That’s ridiculous, Burt said. If people have to act shady, then it’s tearing down everything we are trying to do.
SA presidential candidate Jeff Marootian, said his camp utilized the PB and MCGB rules to save space earlier in the day. He said he had to reserve the space because other candidates had brought the campaign to this level, and he did not want his opposition to have an unfair advantage. Marootian declined to say what other candidates participated in reserving space early.
It was something I hoped not to do, Marootian said.
He said the postering situation is not indicative of his campaign.
I think overall so far things have gone pretty positively, Marootian said. I think today doesn’t really reflect the overall nature of this campaign.
Megan Huszagh, executive vice presidential candidate Chris Voss supporter, said one of the major problems with postering was that candidates were taking advantage of these separate rules.
People are putting up PB posters earlier and then taking them down later to get the best spaces, she said.
Burt said this activity lessens the respectability of the SA.
How can you say you want to restore SA credibility and in the same vein do things like this? he asked.
Past SA candidates stayed up all night outside to secure the most visible sites, but the election committee sought to address that problem this year.
Jeff Baxter, Student Association Election Committee chair, said the charter changed the rules for postering this year. Instead of allowing candidates to begin hanging posters in the morning, as they had done in previous years, the candidates had to wait until 5:30 p.m.
We didn’t want students camping out all night, as they had done in past years, Baxter said.
A Student Association Election Committee representative was standing on the Quad to tell candidates when to begin.
In addition, the candidates were given a limit on the number of posters they could hang. President and EVP candidates were allowed 150, at large senators 100 and all other candidates 50, Baxter said. In previous years, no limit was placed on the number of posters.
Though some rules were changed for this year’s election, some still see problems.
I think there should be a ban on postering, EVP candidate Pat McLaughlin said. I don’t feel that posters win an election.
McLaughlin said all postering brought was more and candidate animosity.
But McLaughlin, who is running his campaign with presidential candidate Abby Lestition, still hung posters with the other candidates. He said that though he disagrees with the practice, he could not let opponents have an advantage.
