Violations in the Student Council presidential campaign prompted the University Board of Elections to call all four candidates to a meeting Monday night.
According to the candidates, the violations ranged from improper flyering to illegal mailings.
"Everybody was accused of these violations in some form or another," candidate Jequeatta Upton said.
Upton attributed the violations to misunderstandings and misinterpretations of campaign rules.
UBE Chair Steve Yang said under the campaign rules, candidates were not allowed to send their literature out through the University e-mail lists.
"There was at least one case when a candidate asked someone to send e-mails to lists," Yang said.
According to Yang, other regulations stipulate that candidates may only place one flyer on each bulletin board. Posters may not be attached to lampposts, columns, pavements, outside walkways or railings.
Candidate Curran Jhanjee said many of the accusations brought against him were caused by student supporters who were unaffiliated with his campaign. Jhanjee said some of the flyers that were not in regulation were posted by his supporters.
"I'm directly responsible for what anybody does for my campaign," Jhanjee said. "It's towards the end of the election period anyway. The fact that everybody did something cancels each other out."
Candidate Thomas Gibson said the UBE was trying to be as fair as possible given the stress surrounding the campaign.
Yang said the UBE received many e-mails about the race.
"This is probably the most high-profile race, and a lot of the campaign workers have been sending things in that they think have been violations," Yang said.
According to Yang, the talks were friendly, and the UBE did not have to take any further action.
Jhanjee said there was some tension at the meeting.
"I think that some people were a little bit upset," he said.
Upton said she thinks the discussion was successful and that the candidates left with a better understanding of the rules.
"All of the candidates were really cooperative," Upton said. "They were not antagonistic at all."
Yang said the candidates were cooperating with the UBE and added that problems brought up at the meeting were resolved quickly.
"To my knowledge, there was no malicious intent," Yang said.
Gibson said he thinks the violations were trivial and did not damage the campaign process as a whole.
"I feel like it's a process that none of us have gone through," Gibson said. "Since it's new to everyone, there are going to be mistakes made, and there are going to be different interpretations."
Candidate Greg Jackson, was unavailable for comment at press time.
Read More
Two senior U.Va. Health leaders quietly take new jobs without formal announcement
By Ford McCracken | 23 hours agoKibbe’s departure marks the end of an ongoing battle between U.Va. Health employees and their senior leadership.
Letter from 12 deans to Board of Visitors goes unanswered for almost two weeks
By Naima Sawaya | YesterdayAt the time of publication, the academic deans had received no response from the Board regarding their offer to meet with the Board “as soon as possible.”
Sen. Tim Kaine speaks to U.Va. students, discusses Ryan resignation and more
By Grace Traxler | 2 days agoIn an informal Q&A session, audience members asked about threats to federal research, the future of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University, potential shifts in the Democratic Party and more.
