Yesterday at 4:05 PM, the members who are mandated to review the election results met virtually to go over and verify the final tally of votes. Due to pending Governance Board appeals at the time, we voted to withhold the results until those cases were resolved. We had planned to post the results today, within 24 hours of the voting ending. However, this morning after posting the final financial reports, the Elections Commission received multiple appeals, with at least one related to one of the ticket’s financial reports.
Over the past two weeks we have made it our commitment to investigate each report, make a ruling, and grant appeals in a reasonable and timely manner. We took each complaint seriously, investigated them to our best ability, and worked to make sure consequences were distributed fairly. We believe that it is our duty and obligation to take the time to investigate these new appeals, make decisions, and allow for potential appeals to the Governance Board, as is the process outlined in our rules. It is our responsibility to ensure “appeals and claims do not become moot and that recourse exists for every successful appeal, even if it means altering the Rules or the Calendar.” With this responsibility in mind, we have decided to suspend the requirement that the Elections Commission must release the results publicly within 24 hours of voting closing.
This decision was not made lightly, but instead was made to protect the validity of the investigation and appeals process and what would be best for the organization. We understand the stress this may place on those who ran for seats, but at this time we believe this is the best decision for the organization. Ticket chairs can expect to hear more information on the specifics of these violations shortly. If you have any questions or concerns, you should feel free to reach out to the Elections Commission or Governance Board.
Sincerely,
Dan Laffin
Head Elections Commissioner
sgaelections@umd.edu
Jonathan Frank
Chief Justice
sgachiefjustice@umd.edu
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