By Dessa Bayrock (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: March 13, 2013
Former SUS presidential candidate Chris Doyle is contesting a unanimous electoral committee decision to strike his name from the general election ballot last weekend.
Doyle, current VP social, was removed from the ballot last Friday night.
Chief electoral officer Rae-Lynne Dicks stated the electoral committee would not be releasing specific details of the the complaints lodged against Doyle, but noted Doyle has been fully informed of his transgressions.
Doyle chose to appeal the decision, and the electoral committee re-reviewed the case.
“We collected further information taking into consideration the submissions made in Mr. Doyle’s appeal, then discussed, reviewed and voted in the same manner as the original decision,” Dicks stated.
After he was informed his appeal was unsuccessful, Doyle released that email conversation to The Cascade.
According to the documents supplied by Doyle, the electoral committee voted to declare his candidacy invalid after Doyle violated election rules, as laid out in the SUS governing manual, in five ways. These rules have been summarized below.
4.1.31 – Candidates are forbidden from receiving organizational aid from “Organs of The Society”
The electoral committee counted Brad Ross, manager of AfterMath, within this description and found that Doyle either asked for or was offered help from Ross concerning his campaign poster. The electoral committee did not rule out the chance that the posters were completely Ross’s creation.
““[E]ither he produced it for you or you produced it on [his] laptop,” the committee stated.
Doyle admits he received help but believes the aid he received should not be considered a violation.
“I asked a formatting question,” Doyle states. “I did the work myself.”
4.1.21 – All physical campaign materials must strictly adhere to university policies
According to university posting policy, notices are to be placed on “notice boards as space is available.”
By placing a campaign poster to the front checkout desk at the bookstore, the electoral committee states that Doyle both violated UFV’s posting policy and made it appear as though the university was endorsing his candidacy.
Doyle said he wasn’t aware he was violating posting regulations.
“It’s a common area where students go, and there was nothing that said I couldn’t put [a poster] up in the bookstore,” Doyle explained.
4.5.2 – The university is forbidden from endorsing a candidate
As part of his campaign, Doyle approached Educational Technology Services (ETS) to have materials posted to the informational televisions around campus. According to the electoral committee, this would appear as though the university was endorsing Doyle as a candidate. ETS educational technologist June Pitcher informed Doyle this would not be possible and the electoral committee alleges that Doyle then pushed the point.
“You attempted to bully your way into having this university staff member do as you asked despite being advised that it was against the rules,” the committee stated in its email to Doyle.
4.1.18 – All campaign materials must be approved by the electoral committee before use
The slide Doyle requested ETS place on televisions around campus was an unapproved version of his campaign poster.
“I simply attached the wrong document,” Doyle stated in his appeal. “Since it was not used and the issue was an accident I would like to point out that there was no harm done, the intent to use an illegal poster was not their [sic] and it was all simply an accident.”
4.5.2 – The university is forbidden from endorsing a candidate
Finally, the electoral committee stated that Doyle “made a campaigning post” to the Facebook page of Campus Buzz, a UFV group run by a UFV staff member through UFV international. According to the electoral committee, this post appears to present the university as endorsing Doyle.
Doyle argued in his appeal that Campus Buzz does not specifically represent a UFV department.
There are six members on the electoral committee, including two faculty members in advisory positions and four students. As per the governing manual, their identities are kept anonymous. Rae-Lynne Dicks has allowed her name to be released, as her identity will come to light when the electoral committee makes reports to the SUS board and outlines their reasons for Doyle’s removal. This report will take place at the next regular SUS board meeting.
