The USA Elections Board disqualified a third transfer student representative candidate from the Undergraduate Students Association Council elections Tuesday.
Dayanara Flores, a third-year English student, was disqualified after providing misleading, incomplete and erroneous campaign finance information, the elections board said in a notice of finding. USAC disqualified two other transfer student representative candidates Wednesday because of issues with campaign finances.
Six candidates remain in the race, and voting closes Friday at noon.
[Related: 2 transfer student representative candidates disqualified from USAC elections]
The elections board alleged in the notice of finding that Flores did not submit complete campaign financial documentation by the mandatory May 5 deadline.
“Despite multiple reminders and requests from the Elections Board Director of Finance, the candidate repeatedly failed to provide adequate supporting financial documentation, including receipts, proof of funding capability, and accurate expenditure reporting,” the board alleged in the notice of finding.
USAC candidates are allowed to spend a maximum of $200 of their own money and $50 from the elections board for their campaign, according to the notice of finding. Flores appeared to have exceeded the $200 self-funding limit, the elections board alleged.
“Fundraising disclosures reflected inconsistent and conflicting self-funding amounts, including additional reported self-funded amounts … creating the appearance of total self-funding exceeding the legally authorized campaign finance limitations for the 2026 election cycle,” the board said in the notice.
Flores denied the board’s claim that she exceeded the $200 limit in an emailed statement, calling the situation a misunderstanding.
Flores said in a separate emailed statement that she did not spend her personal money on the items in contention – which she said were worth under $200 – and they were instead donated to her.
The elections board did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Flores’ allegation.
The notice of disqualification document also said Flores later submitted additional expenditures, including $33.41 for a campaign poster stand from Amazon and $12.92 for a campaign poster from CVS, which had not previously been disclosed as required.
“Candidates are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of all campaign finance submissions, particularly after receiving direct clarification, notice, and opportunities to cure deficiencies from the Elections Board,” the board said.
Flores said in an emailed statement she found the disqualification harsh, adding that her updated document submission was meant to clarify discrepancies.
“The issue stemmed from misunderstanding of how certain campaign materials needed to be itemized, not from intentional misconduct,” Flores said. “I believe there should be consideration for the distinction between reporting misunderstandings and deliberate violations.”
