Monday, April 13, 2009
Alex Porte, vice presidential candidate for Envision, filed a complaint with the Student Senate elections commission on Sunday against United Students vice presidential candidate May Davis for tampering with the election process.
“Our complaint is, essentially, that May used her social and political position to exploit these two girls on the elections commission for information,” said Porte, Great Falls, Va., junior.
Porte said he felt the violation deserved expulsion from the election or a severe fine.
According to a written testimony submitted by the two members of the elections commission, Davis, Clay Center junior, approached them after a hearing in which United Students received a $350 fine for failing to include the elections commission Web site on its campaign posters.
The commissioners, Caitlin Taylor and Courtney Bone, live in the same sorority house as Davis. They said in their testimonies that they received angry text messages from Davis after the elections commission ruled in favor of fining United Students. They said they had divulged information to Davis about the deliberations, which were supposed to be kept confidential.
“I do understand that divulging the initial information to Ms. Davis was wrong, but I do think that speaking to her one-on-one is an intimidating situation that I was unprepared for,” Taylor said in her statement.
Both Taylor and Bone said Davis had approached them on several occasions to speak with them about matters pertaining to the elections commission and to discuss the validity of the decision to fine United Students.
In his complaint, Porte said this amounted to an attempt by Davis to “intimidate and harass” the commissioners into providing her with information. He said this would put her in violation of the elections code, which said an attempt to “influence the outcome of an election by means of harassment, intimidation, bribery or fraud” was punishable by fines or even expulsion from the election.
However, when informed of the allegations, Davis said she was unaware that she, or any member of United Students, had violated the elections code.
“I have absolutely no idea what they can be referring to that I could have pressured somebody into doing,” Davis said. “I don’t see why that’s a violation of code for an elections commissioner to say something about deliberations, but obviously anything that an elections commissioner would say would be their own violation of the code, not mine.”
Alex Herman, elections commission chair and Hays second-year law student, said the hearing would likely take place Tuesday evening.
“It’s unfortunate that it’s going to be that late, but at least it will happen,” Porte said.
The Student Senate elections will be held this Wednesday and Thursday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
— — Edited by Jesse Trimble
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Comments
Envision candidate files complaint
i find this complaint very ironic since alex porte has been seen meeting with elections commission members and telling them what they should be doing as well. hypocrite? i think so. they should both be spending their time campaigning for their own coalitions, instead of attacking the other one.
Envision candidate files complaint
Has anyone noticed that the envision logo is identical to the Kansan logo at the top of this page? Yeah, they cropped out what they didn't want, but I think that the Kansan, or even United Students for that matter, file a complaint for copyright infringement.
Envision candidate files complaint
I say it to myself all the time, this is such a fun election. I'm so glad I'm not running so I can sit back and just watch!
Envision candidate files complaint
This keeps getting better and better! I keep telling everyone, write a book about this!
Envision candidate files complaint
May Davis is always intimidating. How is this news?
Envision candidate files complaint
rockchalk85: Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot. You are aware those are buildings on campus right? Are you trolling? Because you know there's only one alternative to that.
Envision candidate files complaint
I wonder if Porte is doing this because Davis voted to uphold his suspension. Thoughts?
Envision candidate files complaint
I'd say its because the elections adjudicator suggested that this complaint be filed rather than malicious will from Porte. Granted, it works in his advantage but this was brought up by a third party unless I'm mistaken. Besides, the two testimonies from the members who were harassed shows that they are tired of being bullied around when they are trying to do their jobs. I know I'd be pissed and willing to testify against her if I was in their position.
visit http://concernedjayhawk.blogspot.com/?zx=b837e74c898c22b7 for the full testimonies.
Envision candidate files complaint
pantheon- duh those are campus buildings! Did you notice that they used buildings in the same order that the Kansan website did? FYI campus is not laid out that the above logo. I did not see one unique thing in their advertising.....Kansan logo, play on Obama buttons, etc
Envision candidate files complaint
Wow...their house must be really proud and/or really divided!!! All three of these girls are snakes in the grass in the house and out of the house. This is not the first time for the red head to be without grace, in fact CB is an angry soul...no one will prosper or profit with the likes of her!!! Time to get a dictionary and look up the meaning of confidential CB.
Envision candidate files complaint
to clarify, the testimonies were given to the commissioner on his request so he would know what happenned. the two women didn't know that he was going to file a complaint, nor were they notified until days after their statements had been already been given to coalitions.
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