Candidates in the President and Ents race in the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) elections were sanctioned by the Electoral Commission early today in breach Schedule 3.
Speaking to Trinity News, De Rís confirmed that a member of his campaign team posted a promotional message in a group chat last night, however stated that this was “an innocent mistake”. He said that “the rules of SU campaigns are quite heavy and not always easy for those who don’t usually engage with the SU to follow”. No strikes were issued for this breach, but the penalty is the confiscation of ten campaign t-shirts and the suspension of online campaigning between 12pm and 3pm tomorrow.
Ents candidate Matt Dundon also did not receive a strike but will not be allowed to campaign on campus between 2pm and 3pm tomorrow. Dundon said: “I gave some posters to a first year on my team who put them in a location he wasn’t allowed to. My lunch has been extended by an hour tomorrow.”
Schedule 3 of TCDSU’s Constitution outlines election regulations and dates. Breaches of EC rules usually result in a strike against a candidate, with the candidate removed from the ballot after their third rule break.
Additional reporting by Niamh Lynch.
