Further investigation into issues surrounding Student Government Association election proceedings, including a complaint, an appeal and the disqualification of candidates was conducted by The Daily Cougar to address confusion over the article ‘Former candidates contest grievances.’ (News, March 23).
Former SGA presidential candidate Kaine Hampton and running mate Hannah McConn, said their campaign was impaired by allegations of using prohibited photocopiers.
Former vice-presidential candidate Laura Bobrick filed the complaint on March 6, in which she said she discovered one of Hampton and McConn’s campaign flyers on a copy machine in the Campus Activities office. Bobrick said she showed it to Campus Activities Director Marcella Leung.
‘As soon as Laura saw it, she made her exclamation and made her advisor (Leung) look at it,’ Bruce Twenhafel, assistant director of Campus Activities said.’
This issue was called to the election commission’s attention the same morning right before the official complaint was filed.
SGA chief election commissioner Micah Kenfield investigated the issue.
McConn said there was no way that she, Hampton, or their sponsor – the NAACP – could have made the copies because of the required password they did not possess.’
Dean of Students William Munson, SGA Vice President Jonas Chin, Leung and Kenfield met with the candidates March 6 and ruled to suspend Hampton and McConn from any active campaigning until the complaint was officially reviewed. Hampton and McConn were allowed to keep existing material posted. The candidates filed an appeal.’
‘The election code gives 48 class hours for the commission to get together, and they took less than 12,’ Kenfield said.’
Hampton and McConn’s appeal was scheduled for March 9, but Assistant Dean of Students Kamran Riaz rejected Bobrick’s complaint because it did not follow the election code format.’
‘It was a minor oversight on our part, purely on the clerical side of things. If you make a mistake, obviously you fix it immediately,’ Kenfield said.’
The Election Commission threw out the complaint. Bobrick re-filed it in the proper format and it was reinvestigated.’
After reinvestigation, Hampton and McConn were allowed to campaign continue their campaign on March 10.’
‘Their ruling was consistent with other rulings that they had made with another situation, so there was no undue favoritism or no undue focus on denying (them),’ Twenhafel said.’
The Commission apologized for the error and offered Hampton and McConn an increased spending limit for their campaign expenditures, as well as priority evaluation for approval of campaign materials. Hampton and McConn declined the compensation and said the time lost was too valuable and could not be compensated for.’
‘I was very upset at how this election was run,’ McConn said. ‘I think we should all be entitled to run a fair campaign.’
McConn said she was also upset by an e-mail she received which said she and Hampton had failed to turn in their financial disclosure and would therefore be disqualified.’
‘There was no investigation or trial; (Kenfield) would just charge us as guilty – you’re guilty, you’re out, you’re done,’ McConn said.’
Kenfield said the disclosure was filed in an incorrect format, and the issue was resolved in a little over an hour when Hampton and McConn resubmitted it without losing any campaign time.’
Hampton could not be reached for comment.’
Kenfield said SGA will revise the Election Code to be internally consistent for future elections to avoid having to make judgment calls. Consequences for infractions will be specifically laid out in the Election Code.’
Former presidential candidate Brent Koehn said the election commission disqualified him unfairly for a Web site he said parodied his campaign.’
Koehn said the Web site was registered to a fake name and its pictures and videos were taken from MySpace, Facebook and YouTube.’
‘They basically tried to discredit us,’ Koehn said. ‘Micah actually brought it to my attention that there was a website up and that I didn’t have proof for it. He insisted that I made it all up and disqualified me from the election.”
The commission received filing documents of Koehn’s financial disclosures for the Web site www.Brentsforpresident.com, which Koehn said he put up before turning in the campaign materials.’
On March 11, the first day of the election, Kenfield checked www.Brentforpresident.com said it was the parody Web site Koehn had been previously asked about.’
‘ ‘Not only had they submitted campaign materials that were not approved, but they had also subsequently falsified their financial disclosure because they purchased the domain name that was being utilized that was not disclosed, which is automatic disqualification,’ Kenfield said.’
Kenfield said that upon further investigation, the Commission found the domain name is registered to ‘Brent K’ who is registered at the same address as www.Brentsforpresident.com.’
‘We went through an exhausting search because it was already during the elections and disqualifying a presidential candidate is a big deal,’ Kenfield said.’
Koehn did not file an appeal, but said if he had known an appeal was available, he would have.’
‘I just think they should’ve taken into consideration that they extended the deadline because they didn’t get enough applicants, that I participated, that I wanted to be a part of this, and I was disqualified for a bogus reason; it just doesn’t make any sense,’ Koehn said.’
Koehn and his running mate, Mark Cochrane, remained on the ballot in the event the investigation was rectified, Kenfield said. The candidates received 160 votes of the 3,200 cast.
‘ ‘If you look around and look at people in this organization, it’s a very diverse organization and we work for the students,’ SGA President Sam Dike said. ‘To insinuate somehow that our election commission would somehow try to keep someone out of the process, a process where we have had record number participation, (is absurd).’
