The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has been flooded with complaints from both candidates as well as concerned SFU students regarding the current SFSS elections. To date, the IEC has made 24 decisions regarding potential campaign violations. Here are a few that stood out to The Peak.
Alexander Morris distributes unapproved campaign materials
On March 10, printed handbills promoting the candidacy of presidential candidate Alexander Morris were discovered in The Peak newspaper stands, slipped into individual newspapers.
Morris explained to the IEC that he disliked that The Peak described his refusal to submit a statement to their elections article as a failure, and as such wanted to slip his handbills into the papers to “demonstrate his strength as a presidential candidate.”
As the handbills were never sent to the IEC for approval, the IEC decided that Morris had violated the rules of campaigning. Morris was thus prohibited from using printed materials for the remainder of the campaign period.
Chardaye Bueckert campaigns in SFSS space
The IEC penalised presidential candidate Chardaye Bueckert for campaigning in the Rotunda on March 18, as that area of campus is official SFSS space. The IEC bylaws prohibit candidates from campaigning in areas such as the Rotunda, Convocation Mall, and Maggie Benston Centre, to name a few. Upon being questioned, Bueckert acknowledged that she was in the wrong. The incident resulted in a deduction of $6.00 from Bueckert’s remaining campaign budget
Brandon Chapman apologises for defamatory comments
Presidential candidate Brandon Chapman has issued an apology to education rep candidate Gloria Mellesmoen following accusations that Chapman, along with VP Finance candidate Adam Potvin, made defamatory comments about Mellesmoen to students.
A student reported to the IEC that when Potvin and Chapman approached her, “They began to say along the lines that [Mellesmoen] was the worst one to preform [sic] on the team, they don’t even know how she got that position, and she clearly has no idea what she is doing in terms of her position.’”
Upon further investigation, the IEC said that the student who made the accusations did not mean to accuse both Potvin and Chapman, only Chapman. Potvin appealed the accusation and was found not guilty. The IEC penalized Chapman $5.00 and required him to apologise to Mellesmoen for the comments.
Why was that girl disqualified in 2010 for defamation and this guy isn’t? I recall the comments had to do with qualifications or experience as well. (It’s okay if a man puts down a woman’s ability, but god forbid that a woman does the same to a man?)
(Seems like a fair conclusion!)
What was the woman’s name in 2010?
Anna Belkine.