Two protests were heard yesterday regarding the student government elections, one of which ended in a guilty conviction.
Self-proclaimed campaign manager Troy Ross filed a protest against chief of staff candidate Lesly Garcia for using the SGA office for campaign reasons.
Ross claimed in his protest that “the candidate had someone take pictures of her, while in the SGA office and uploaded them on Instagram, which is a clear violation of the election code. In all SGA sponsored elections, usage of the SGA Office for purposes of printing out or designing campaign materials, signs or handbills and any other campaigning is strictly prohibited. Violations of this rule may be classified as a Class B violation by the Election Commission.”
However, Garcia was found guilty not because of the picture she posted, but because the caption that accompanied it advertised her ticket’s slogan before campaigning was officially underway. She was found guilty of early campaigning.
Garcia’s sanction meant that she was not allowed to openly campaign during the last four hours of the regular campaigning cycle, (meaning 4 a.m-8 p.m. today).
A protest was also filed against Ross by Senator Dylan McFarland, accusing Ross of having an unfair advantage during campaigns.
McFarland said “Mr. Ross was attempting to set up a candidate forum meeting with another organization for, quote, ‘my ticket’ on March 7. The fact of the matter is not that he conducted this action but that he began campaigning for his ticket prior to him being allowed to start campaigning.”
Although Ross is not the official campaign manager for his ticket, McFarland quoted in his protest that “campaign managers as well as campaign staff are concerned when it comes to the Student Government Association Election Code, Article VI. Campaign Regulations, Section G. All candidates are liable for the actions and remarks of their manager and campaign staff.”
Ross was found not guilty of all charges.
Elections begin today through university email and will conclude tomorrow.
Follow the Houstonian on Twitter (@HoustonianSHSU) for live election updates Wednesday.