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RSU candidate gets crossed off ballot

While ballots indicate otherwise, VP Operations candidate Sean Carson will go unopposed on election day after opponent Mark Single was disqualified from the Ryerson Students’ Union elections on Feb. 4.

The chief returning officer, Hakim Kassam, disqualified Single for posting unapproved election posters around campus. The posters focused on the $30, 000 annual salary paid to RSU executives, with Single saying he would reduce the salaries to minimum student wage.

Single said the campagin was to raise awareness for students who weren’t aware of the annual salary.

The posters were reportedly found overlapping Students’ United posters  with a finger pointing directly to their faces.

The CRO deemed the offence a “severe violation,” and disqualified Single based on six different violations. This included bylaw 6.59 of the election handbook, that posters should not be offensive and if so, it would be up to the discretion of the CRO to remove and destroy the poster. Subsequently the CRO could then disqualify the individual.

Single had gone to the CRO to get the posters approved on Feb. 3 but after he was denied, he chose to post them that evening anyway.

“It went against good faith, and maligned the individuals it was posted by,” Kassam said.

Single was given 24 hours to appeal the decision, but chose to waive his right and left the race.

Kassam indicated the RU Change slate has already received a number of demerit points but would not provide specific details.

If Single’s offence had turned into more demerit points for the team, it’s likely the entire slate would have been eliminated.

To win the election, candidate Sean Carson will now have to receive the majority of votes, which breaks down to 50 per cent plus one vote in the yes or no vote.

Carson said he still feels positive that himself and his team are encouraging students to come out and vote.

Polls will remain open until Feb. 9 at 5:30 p.m.

2 Comments

  1. prince vlad

    And denying a person her human rights with respects to accommodations is still allowed why again? Ya, they say that there are no provisions in the election bylaws to provide funding for accommodations. HEY, HERE IS A SURPRISE for y’ all. the HUMAN RIGHTS CODE OVERRIDES all bylaws.

  2. Graduate

    50% of 10% of the people who actually vote isn’t a majority. The RSU has become a joke and this is just another tick on the dictatorship counter.

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