By Theresa Ebden
A violation of RSU election rules has thrown last week’s Environmental Health Course Union elections into a smog.
Presidential candidate Jason Agius, a second-year student, was upset when he saw the other two candidates still campaigning on Mar. 27 election day.
RSU election regulations state that a candidate will be disqualified for campaigning on election day. No speeches, posters or flyers are permitted.
Yet presidential candidates Adam Grant and Jason Chan, both in third year, left their posters up. Chan even slipped leaflets into lockers in the polling area the night before the elections.
Grant won with 58 votes. Chan was second with 43. Agius received 31 votes.
“They didn’t follow the rules,” said Agius, who took his posters down before Monday’s elections.
But another RSU publication says that all rules were followed.
Chief Returning Officer Andy Psiachos read RSU’s “How to Run a Course Unioin or Student Group Election” handbook. It states he can decide if candidates are allowed to campaign on election day.
But election day came around, said Psiachos had not made that decision.
Agius stopped him in the halls on election day, and said the posters violated RSU policy. Psiachos replied it was “at his discrepancy.” He then decided not to campaign in the polling area, but everything else around the school would stay.
“I don’t think I did anything wrong,” Psiachos said. “But I’ll be doing (elections) over if that’s what RSU wants.”
Agius has sent a letter to RSU stating that “appropriate action must be taken.”
“I don’t think it’s any gross infraction of the rules,” said Leatrice Spevack, RSU student groups coordinator. “I don’t think (campaigning on election day) would have changed the votes in any way.”
“We didn’t see any problem with it. Things have been really hectic this year,” said Grant, who added that he will “strive towards” organization and set goals in 1995-96.
Chan, who is president for the 1994-95 year, says no one told him he couldn’t campaign on the last day. “The reason Jason Agius is doing this, I think, is to try and win the presidency.”
Agius thinks he may have stood a better chance if he had campaigned on election day. “It would have been a closer race, that’s for sure.”
Agius also noticed that photo ID was not being requested at the polling station, and Psiachos was often left alone with the voting box.
“I’m not accusing anyone of anything, but his best friend is Adam (Grant),” Agius said. “There was definitely a window of opportunity there.”
The RSU Course Union committee has decided to uphold the current election standings, and review the circumstances.
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