Student Government Association Vice President and aspiring presidential candidate Ethan Lynne on Sunday pleaded guilty to five counts of violations for campaigning in restricted zones, facing a penalty just shy of disqualification from the election on April 10 and 11.

Joint Elections Commission Chair Michael Ubis said the body received the indictment against Lynne on Thursday after an authorized agent — students approved to act on a candidate’s behalf in conducting campaign activities — collected signatures in the basement of Phillips Hall in an attempt to “advance the candidacy of Ethan Lynne.” The authorized agent collected signatures from five students in an academic building, which violates JEC regulations, accumulating Lynne one penalty point for each signature received.

Following a violation of JEC regulations, the JEC chief investigator conducts an investigation into the indictment and invites all involved parties to a hearing where candidates can give testimony. The commission decides penalties during hearings and publishes them to the JEC website.

The JEC website outlines the 2025 regulations and all prohibited activities for candidates, which includes campaigning on the interior of residence halls, academic buildings and dining facilities. Any failure to comply with JEC regulations results in a certain amount of penalty points determined by JEC commissioners.

Any candidate who accumulates six or more penalty points during the election period is disqualified from the race, according to the SGA bylaws. If Lynne violates any further JEC regulations, the commission will disqualify him from the race. Lynne’s five penalty points will appear next to his name on the official SGA election ballot distributed to the student body on April 10 and 11.

The JEC initially published the name of the authorized agent along with photo evidence of the student collecting signatures in the basement of Phillips Hall. Lynne told The Hatchet that the photo was taken and used as evidence without the agent’s consent. After the meeting Sunday morning, the JEC removed the name from the complaint document and blocked out the student’s face.

Lynne said he admitted to having violated JEC regulations when his agent collected signatures in Phillips Hall and that the agent “misunderstood” instructions about where signature collection was permitted. Lynne said the complaints filed against him display the problematic political nature of SGA elections and the governing body itself.

“The actions taken against me and my team highlight the exact problem with SGA campaigns, people are focused on taking each other down based on petty disagreements,” Lynne said in a text message. “We all should be focused on making GW better for its students.”