The Electoral Commission, the Student Union’s governing body for the Sabbatical Elections, has introduced new rules to regulate this year’s election. In a bid to combat what Education Officer Hugh Sullivan, deemed the “falsifying of expenditure”, candidates must now order all campaign materials through the EC. Candidates will also be subject to a budget of €600.
The Electoral Commission, the Student Union’s governing body for the Sabbatical Elections, has introduced new rules to regulate this year’s election. In a bid to combat what Education Officer Hugh Sullivan, deemed the “falsifying of expenditure”, candidates must now order all campaign materials through the EC. Candidates will also be subject to a budget of €600.
In previous years, candidates were allowed to order their own materials but had to provide receipts showing adherence to the budget. However, according to Mr Sullivan, receipts were often falsified in a bid to ‘enhance’ their budgets. In an attempt to prevent this practise, which can see candidates’ names struck off the ballot, all material and clothing must be ordered through the Electoral Commission.
Flyers, manifestos and posters will be subject to the previous stringent limits and conditions. Flyers may be a maximum size of A6 and are limited to 4,000 per candidate, with posters printed on A3 with a maximum of 2,000 per candidate. Manifestos, setting out candidate’s campaign pledges, are limited to 2,000 per candidate and must be size A4.
The quantity of printed clothing has not been set, however, candidates must keep within their €600 spending limit. Candidates are permitted to use hand-made clothing but must keep within the budget and all clothing must be stamped by the EC before use. The EC has promised to ensure that all campaign designs will be kept in the strictest of confidence before the campaigns begin.
Stunts, a common feature of previous election campaigns, will also be subjected to this strict budget. While the EC have said that they encourage “inventive and original stunts”, they have warned that these stunts must be in accordance with the election regulations and must be pre-approved by the EC.
Another new addition sees the introduction of a credit system, which abolishes the previous fine system. Instead of paying a fine as result of breaking the election rules, candidates will now be subject to a credit system, which sees them begin the campaign with 60 credits. Should a candidate be in breach of any rule, the EC will determine its severity and in accordance will deduct credits. Should a candidate reach zero points before the end of the election, the candidates name will be struck off the ballot paper. According the Mr. Sullivan, candidates can appeal an EC decision “if they have been struck from the ballot as a result of the decision.”
While the EC believes these new measures to be necessary, the new rules have been met with criticisms which were voiced at the most recent Council meeting. The objections, however, were met with some hostility, with Education Officer Hugh Sullivan saying that those who objected did so because they “want on cheating”. Sullivan has since apologised to those he branded as cheaters and has met with all of the potential candidates, saying he is “confident that everything will run smoothly.”
Hilary Allen, who ran for Education Officer last year, was one of those who voiced their objections, believing the removal of the “with discretion of the EC” clause to be one of the most dangerous. While the amounts of credit deducted will be at the discretion of the EC, the removal of the candidate from the ballot once they reach zero credits is not. According to Ms. Allen, “the candidate can go to the appeals board, but they may not campaign during the time for the appeal. 2 or 3 days of campaigning could make all the difference.”
Nikolai Trigoub-Rotnem, chair of the EC, has defended the EC saying it “is there not to fine people or kick people off the ballot, we are there to make sure
that each candidate participates in fair election campaigning process.”
The purpose of these new rules, he believes, is to enhance the quality of the campaigns. “With the focus on people using their resources to the max potential will create a better election where people will actually interact with the student body and their campaign team rather than relying on having a massive number of t shirt and flyers to win an election.”
Campaigning officially begins at 11pm on Sunday February 15th and runs until 4pm on Thursday 26th. Results will be released on the night of the 26th.
