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ASCSU election results challenged
Charging 'gross violations', student seeks new election
J. David McSwane
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: News
A former chief justice for the student Supreme Court on Tuesday filed a rare appeal challenging the legitimacy of the recent student government presidential election, claiming negligence, preferential treatment and other alleged improprieties involving campaign finance rules.
For the first time in CSU history, the Associated Students of CSU is reviewing an official appeal of a presidential election, which could result in organizing another election, student government officials said.
Edward Modec, the student who filed the appeal with the ASCSU Supreme Court, accuses the Elections Committee of "blatant negligence and disregard (for the constitution)" and Elections Code in handling the campaign finance report for President-elect Taylor Smoot and his vice president, Quinn Girrens.
"This is the sloppiest I've ever seen the elections run," said Modec, a member of ASCSU for the past four years. "Based on all the gross violations by the Election Committee … at this point, the election is invalid.
"Is a re-election necessary? Maybe."
Although student government leaders refused to release the "Affadavit of Petitioner" publicly, the Collegian obtained a copy of the allegations Tuesday night.
Modec charges that Elections Manager Emily Laue and the Elections Committee "defied the ASCSU Constitution" in docking the fair market value of a free concert Smoot and Girrens hosted on the plaza last month to garner voter support - an expenditure Modec says should have ousted them from the ASCSU election.And the concert almost did. On April 2, Smoot and Girrens had to defend their ticket in a closed-door meeting with the Elections Committee after original estimates of the concert's market value - $200 to $500 - placed the candidates beyond their spending limit.
But the Elections Committee ultimately valued the concert at $82.50, based on the value of the band Modus' previous shows, leaving the candidates comfortably below their $2,000 spending limit mandated by ASCSU campaign policy. In his five-page appeal, Modec says the altered fair market value of the concert contradicts $200 to $500 Laue encouraged Smoot and Girrens to denote originally.
For the first time in CSU history, the Associated Students of CSU is reviewing an official appeal of a presidential election, which could result in organizing another election, student government officials said.
Edward Modec, the student who filed the appeal with the ASCSU Supreme Court, accuses the Elections Committee of "blatant negligence and disregard (for the constitution)" and Elections Code in handling the campaign finance report for President-elect Taylor Smoot and his vice president, Quinn Girrens.
"This is the sloppiest I've ever seen the elections run," said Modec, a member of ASCSU for the past four years. "Based on all the gross violations by the Election Committee … at this point, the election is invalid.
"Is a re-election necessary? Maybe."
Although student government leaders refused to release the "Affadavit of Petitioner" publicly, the Collegian obtained a copy of the allegations Tuesday night.
Modec charges that Elections Manager Emily Laue and the Elections Committee "defied the ASCSU Constitution" in docking the fair market value of a free concert Smoot and Girrens hosted on the plaza last month to garner voter support - an expenditure Modec says should have ousted them from the ASCSU election.And the concert almost did. On April 2, Smoot and Girrens had to defend their ticket in a closed-door meeting with the Elections Committee after original estimates of the concert's market value - $200 to $500 - placed the candidates beyond their spending limit.
But the Elections Committee ultimately valued the concert at $82.50, based on the value of the band Modus' previous shows, leaving the candidates comfortably below their $2,000 spending limit mandated by ASCSU campaign policy. In his five-page appeal, Modec says the altered fair market value of the concert contradicts $200 to $500 Laue encouraged Smoot and Girrens to denote originally.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 7
Told You So
posted 4/16/08 @ 1:46 AM MST
Tired of campaigning Taylor? What kind of representative are you? If you truly cared about us, our voices...if you truly cared about the things you BSed your way through for three weeks. (Continued…)
James
posted 4/16/08 @ 10:38 AM MST
If we get the onion on campus, then who is going to read my Ramtalks?!
WOW
posted 4/16/08 @ 11:48 AM MST
and you all have to remember the $9 is just the ASCSU proposed increase and does not account for the other fee areas that might ask for an increase so overall the fees could dramatically increase. (Continued…)
Great Job!
posted 4/16/08 @ 12:23 PM MST
I can't wait to see Stepsay try to go toe-to-toe with Modec:) That'd be brutal, guy knows the Constitution like no one else. Time to sweep the incompetence under the rug and move on to the fee increases, mmkay? Go ASCSU!
I dont care
posted 4/16/08 @ 2:00 PM MST
Never have been interested in ASCSU, nothing against those who are, the only thing that i really have to say is that anything is better then the joke known as Jared Quintana. (Continued…)
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