The USA Elections Board released four notices of findings between April 6 and April 17 for alleged election code violations.
The elections board is the governing body that oversees the annual Undergraduate Students Association Council officer elections. Decisions on potential sanctions based on public notices of findings may be viewed here.
Anonymous v. Tajvir Singh
A complaint alleged that Singh, a candidate for president, shared opinions on student feedback from Instagram story responses six days prior to the official beginning of permitted campaigning.
The elections board found the complaint to be valid, judging that Singh’s comments were considered to be campaigning material – as delineated in the election code – and occurred before the campaign period, which began April 10. The board noted, however, that the complaint was lodged over 24 hours after the alleged violation, outside of the timeframe during which alleged violations must be reported, and the post was removed before the investigation began.
The board did not mandate sanctions against Singh. Elections Board Chair My-Lan Le and Director of Investigations Sunny Xiao approved the decision April 6.
Anonymous v. Emma Zhou
A complaint alleged that Zhou, a candidate for external vice president, and her team falsely referred to her as the “only candidate with leadership experience in the EVP office” in an April 11 Instagram post.
The board found the claim to be partially valid. While the board acknowledged that Zhou has experience in the EVP office, it said she was not the only candidate with experience in the office, and misrepresenting herself as such was a violation of the election code.
The board mandated that Zhou and her team edit the post to remove the misrepresentation of Zhou’s credentials within 24 hours of the notice. Le and Xiao approved the decision April 11.
Anonymous v. Diego Emilio Bollo, Javier Nuñez-Verdugo
A complaint alleged that a campaign account for Bollo – a candidate for general representative – reposted a campaign announcement by Nuñez-Verdugo – a candidate for external vice president – with a message of support April 11, allegedly in violation of filing requirements for election slates.
The board found the claim to be invalid, pointing to insufficient evidence of mutual association or support between the candidates. It also noted that the complaint against the candidates was lodged 72 hours after the alleged violation, outside the required 24-hour window.
The board did not mandate sanctions against either candidate. Le and Xiao approved the board’s decision April 14.
Anonymous v. Javier Nuñez-Verdugo
A complaint alleged that Nuñez-Verdugo and their team made a false claim that they had worked with the Afrikan Student Union and other Black student organizations to secure a $1 billion permanent endowment in an Instagram story posted April 15.
The board found the complaint to be partially valid, ruling that Nuñez-Verdugo’s campaign’s post did not explicitly state that Nuñez-Verdugo’s efforts to secure such funding are ongoing, calling the statements “unclear” and potentially “misleading.”
The board mandated that Nuñez-Verdugo and their team alter the statement within 24 hours to specify that they are currently working on securing the endowment for Black student organizations. Xiao approved the decision April 16, and Le followed April 17.
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