On March 23, 2018 the Associated Students of Washington State University Vancouver released a memo discussing the 2018-2019 election appeals story. For transparency, The VanCougar has provided analysis for each of the bylaws mentioned in the memo.
On April 5, 2018 Pullman’s Judicial Board will hear the case at 5:30 p.m. In Engineering and Computer Science Building, room 120. The Meeting is open to the public and The VanCougar will be covering the hearing. Go to http://thevancougar.com/tag/elections for links to sources used and updates to this story.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect a new time and location for the hearing on April 5. The information in the print issue does not reflect this recent change.
Bylaw 610.05:
Members of the Election Board shall not be eligibile to run for an elected ASWSUV office in the year of their service
Bylaw 610.06:
Members of the Election Board shall not be allowed to actively support, promote, or campaign for or against any candidate or ballot issue to be decided by an ASWSUV election.
Bylaw 611.03
Establishes the Election Board’s powers and duties. Most important is the responsibility to interpret and enforce the Election Codes, as well as validate candidate and ballot issues, and act as a prosecutor of all Election Code violations.
Bylaw 620.02
States no person may circulate election literature or solicit any petition signatures on any election day. Any Election Board member or election clerk shall cause such electioneering to cease immediately and may file an Election Code violation with the Judicial Board.
Bylaw 620.04:
By 8:00 A.M. the morning of the election, candidates shall remove all of their campaign materials from all areas within sight of the polling sites. Any campaign material put back up at a polling site area after the area has been cleared shall be considered to be an Election Code violation.
Bylaw 631.01:
The General Election Calendar shall be submitted by the Election Board to the Senate for approval in the fall of each academic year. The submission of the election calendar shall take place no later than the second to last senate meeting of the fall term.
Bylaw 631.02
States the content the calendar shall include. The most notable include the date campaigning begins, the date by which all campaign material must be taken down, and the date by which all election code complaints are due.
Bylaw 642.04:
The Election Board shall answer any and all questions regarding the election and shall make sure all codes are completely understood by all candidates and parties present.
Bylaw 650.04
Says unusual forms of campaigning, not explicitly stated in the Title VI – Election Code, must be approved by the Election Board before being used by candidates. Whether approved or disapproved the decision must be published as a physical, signed document filed with the Election Board, Election Board advisor, Senate Pro-tempore, and President.
Bylaw 652.05
Defines online campaigning as any social media, websites, or other online advertising utilized by candidates or candidate sponsors. Online campaigning must be submitted to the Election Board prior to use, with sufficient information for the Election Board to view said campaigning. If the Election Board deems the content of the online campaigning inappropriate, they can either require the candidate to remove the submission and/or address the issue as an Election Code Violation.
Bylaw 653.03:
Ignorance of the rules shall not be considered a valid defense. Candidates shall be responsible for any violations that occur on the behalf of his or her candidacy.
Bylaw 1114.00:
Leadership Ethics
Bylaw 1114.01
Serves to remind that the Student Body gave the members of ASWSUV the responsibility to effectively, fairly, and efficiently lead. As such, the three branches of ASWSUV are expected to continue personal development as student leaders, encourage the leadership development of others, and stress ethical standards at any activities presented for fellow students.