2010 SGA Election: Executive Election results discarded; appeal leaves students without president

Erica Terrini

News Editor

Decisions from cases challenging the 2010 Student Government Association Executive Election winners and second-runner ups were released Thursday. Former candidate Kanwar Anand and his party ticket were disqualified and Joshua Ronk and his party ticket were reprimanded.

According to the SGA website, the Judicial Branch’s decision to disqualify the candidates and throw out the election results in Case #022 was unanimous. The SGA declared first-runner up, Adele Mcclure, the winner of the 2010 Executive Elections and the President-Elect of the Student Body Thursday. However, because an appeal was formally filed on Friday to the SGA on Judicial Decision #22, there is currently no president-elect.

Chief Deputy Justice Joshua Maye said the Judicial Branch does not discuss the deliberations for cases, but does release summary rulings, which explain the charges and evidence used to support the final decision.

Associate Justice Michael Perkins, who sat on the Judicial Branch for the Case #022 hearing, if students have questions or concerns regarding the case they should read the summary rulings, which are available on the SGA website.

According to the Judicial Branch Summary Ruling for Case #022, Maye brought charges on behalf of his party ticket, Students for Real Change Party, against Anand and his party ticket, the Students for Possibilities Party.

Maye charged Anand with violating the Election Committee Bylaws, which state:

• A candidate may not harass, hassle, threaten, verbally or physically assault, or otherwise intimidate any student.
• The use of personal computer as voting centers is permitted; however, no campaigning can be done in such a manner as to intimidate the voter. Candidates must remain on the opposite side of the computer and may not watch or question the way a student casts his or her vote.

The summary ruling states Anand was “caught on camera pointing to a computer screen while a student was voting.” After viewing the video, the Judicial Branch decided Anand was “guilty of violating the Elections Bylaws in standing behind the computer screen and helping students cast their votes.”

Anand and James Thompson, the former vice presidential candidate for the Students for Possibilities Party, examined the Judicial Branch’s decision. Anand said he and Thompson “saw major technical errors in their judgment,” and “the Judicial Branch failed to correctly interpret the constitution and the bylaws.”

Anand and Thompson began a petition drive on Friday at 8 a.m. and within 16 hours, they gathered 700 student signatures demanding an independent panel to investigate the charges against them.

Perkins, Associate Justice Oscar Jovel and Associate Justice Elizabeth Garrett, who decided the case, are examining the appeal to their original decision. Perkins said the justices meet Monday to deliberate further actions.

For the latest information about the 2010 SGA Executive Election, visit vcu.edu/sga.