Presidential candidate Tilly Schaaf has been issued a minor strike by the students’ union Electoral Commission (EC) for posting election material outside of specified campaign hours.
As a penalty, Schaaf’s campaigning will be delayed until 11am tomorrow, an hour after other candidates are permitted to resume canvassing.
In a statement to Trinity News, Schaaf said: “Instagram is a quick moving platform, reposting of the general public is hard to control.”
“As for campaign team internal, we tried our best to inform everyone of the allowed campaign hours. It appears this is the least obvious rule to the general public, and therefore probably the strictest.”
Campaign hours are specified by TCDSU election rules as from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm every weekday. Campaigning is also permitted in Trinity Hall from 6pm to 9pm.
Election rules stipulate that “any person who campaigns on a candidate’s behalf or contributes to a candidate’s election
campaign is considered to be a member of that candidate’s campaign team“, even if that person has not been explicitly asked by a candidate to campaign for them or share promotional material.
The rules also say:”Candidates are responsible for the actions of their campaign team and will be held
accountable for them by the Electoral Commission.”
The strike is the first to be issued in the 2023 election season, which began today at 4pm with Dining Halls Hustings.
If a candidate receives three minor strikes during the election period, they are struck off the ballot. If a candidate receives two major strikes, it is at the discretion of the EC whether or not they remain on the ballot.
Campaigning for sabbatical officer elections will continue until March 2. Voting will take place from February 28 to March 2. Election results will be announced that evening.
This article was updated on February 21 to include comment from Tilly Schaaf as well as additional information on TCDSU election rules.
