Two weeks into the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) 2015 elections, the independent electoral commission (IEC) has issued $501.50 in electoral violation fines, 46 per cent of which have been personally incurred by one of the presidential candidates.
As of March 20, $232.50 worth of fines had been given to presidential candidate Kayode Fatoba. Last year, the highest personal fines incurred by a candidate totalled $105. Only $20 in fines were incurred in total during the 2011, 2012, and 2013 elections, although several candidates were disqualified.
The IEC also issued a collective total of $210 in fines to members of Fatoba’s slate, School Spirit. Each member was fined $15 for failing to submit their logo for approval and for copyright infringement.
On March 14, the IEC received a complaint from Marija Jonavovic around the possible use of slander against the REAL Slate by Fatoba. The statement in question was posted to his Instagram and Facebook accounts. It read: “#Realregnizereal and I don’t recognize y’all.” Fatoba received a warning, which was later appealed and retracted.
Further complaints about Fatoba interrupting lectures unannounced in order to campaign were made on several occasions. On two of the three occasions the professors “seemed completely surprised, and irritated with the interruptions,” according to the IEC decision. On one occasion the interruption occurred after class had already begun.
We spoke to Fatoba shortly after he met with the IEC to debate his current infractions. “I definitely think that some of the infractions were ridiculous,” he told The Peak. “There are some that I would agree constitute an infraction.”
Fatoba emphasized that these reports shouldn’t be the focus of the election period. “It shouldn’t take away from the issues,” he said.
The IEC reduced several of the fines that had been previously issued to Fatoba after speaking with him on Friday, leaving him with the $232.50 total. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Oscar Sanchez explained, “There have been some concerns around how appeals have been communicated to candidates. [. . .] With that in mind we decided to just accept the [appeals] that came in.”
Since the 2014 SFSS elections, many of the rules and regulations have been revised. “Multiple pages’ worth,” Sanchez explained. As such, Sanchez said some of the new rules have contradicted policies from SFU Facilities, creating confusion.
“How our system is set up, it’s a little hard to keep on top of everything,” he continued, noting the tight time frame this year’s IEC had in which to organize the elections. “We do occasionally struggle.”
Fatoba is also concerned with the office of the IEC — specifically, how it communicates with candidates and its process of announcing infractions publicly before candidates have the chance to appeal them. “There seems to be a need for the SFSS itself to look at its IEC,” he stated. “[The number of infractions] doesn’t necessarily show that I’m not aware of the policy. In fact, it just shows that [there needs to be procedural change].”
The campaign period for the election ends on Monday at midnight. Students will be able to vote from Tuesday to Thursday using their SFU Connect accounts.
