Two College of Liberal Arts tickets were found in violation of election rules Monday night after several complaints were reported earlier in the day.
The tickets "Tichenor? I Hardly Know Her" and "CLAdiators" were found to have violated a section of the SGA Code of Laws that prohibits the campaigns from posting posters on bulletin boards marketed for departmental use only.
The Elections Board, a panel of seven students that oversee elections complaints, found both tickets in violation of code section 709.1.9.5.1 and ordered them to perform 2 hours of community service per candidate on the ticket.
The board recommended the candidates make use of IMPACT, a University community service organization, as the source for their service hours. Both campaigns were also accused of violating two other sections but the board found them not in violation of those sections.
Incumbent Liberal Arts Sen. Ken Ward, who is seeking re-election this term as an independent, submitted the complaints to the election board Monday morning.
Any additional violations that may be turned into the Elections Board will be heard by the board after voting ends Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The race for Liberal Arts senator and schools council is one of the most contested races this year, with eight different candidates vying for Liberal Arts' three Senate seats. Three candidates are running for schools council president and four for vice president.
Four candidates are on the "CLAdiators" ticket: junior D'Angelo Baker for senator, junior Hamilton Wasnick for senator, junior Brandon Burgess for CLA president and sophomore Isabelle Sager for vice president. Six candidates are on the "Tichenor? I Hardly Know Her" ticket: sophomore Hope Ward for senator, sophomore Jon Connor Davis for senator, Pierce Merry for senator, junior Andrew Thompson for president and junior Roxie Faulkner for vice president.
CLA Director of Student Interest Riley Hambrick, who is running for CLA senator as an independent, submitted a separate complaint against incumbent independent CLA Sen. Jordan Kramer.
The complaint alleged that Kramer used faculty to distribute a campaign sent to all CLA students as a mean of campaigning. The email, sent shortly after 8 a.m. Monday, largely listed SGA's accomplishments but did include some others attributed to Kramer himself.
Kramer pointed to his "proudest legislative accomplishment," legislation that placed a referendum on the ballot Tuesday to allow students to vote on how post-season tickets at distributed. The email, sent by a CLA associate dean on Kramer's behalf, did not specifically mention Kramer's campaign for re-election, though it did encourage students to vote on Tuesday and included Kramer's senate credentials in the email signature.
The SGA Code of Laws prohibits candidates or anyone on the behalf from using e-mail as a means of campaigning.
The Election Board, in a 6-0-1 verdict, found Kramer not in violation of the code. He faces no penalties.
If the CLA candidates do not comply with their ordered community service hours, they could face additional penalties, fines or disqualification.
Depending on the severity of any campaign violations, the board could deduct votes, levy monetary fines, suspend campaigning or go so far as to disqualify the candidate or ticket altogether.
Voting opens at 7 a.m. Tuesday and closes at 7 p.m. Callouts are scheduled for 10 p.m.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the decision in Kramer's case was 6-3. It was 6-0-1. We regret the error.
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Chip Brownlee, senior in journalism and political science, is the editor-in-chief of The Auburn Plainsman.
