Three USAC candidates agree to campaign spending limit
By amanda schallert
April 14, 2014 1:15 p.m.
Three out of 30 candidates have volunteered to adhere to non-binding spending limits of $400 for their campaigns in the upcoming undergraduate student government elections.
The students who agreed to financial restrictions are all independent candidates running unopposed to head Undergraduate Students Association Council commissions.
Greg Kalfayan, a third-year political science student running for Campus Events commissioner, Cynthia Wong, a third-year physiological sciences student running for Community Service commissioner, and Savannah Badalich, the current Student Wellness commissioner running for the same position, have each submitted forms for the non-binding spending limit to the Election Board, said Anthony Padilla, the USAC Election Board chair, in an email.
No official spending caps exist to monitor campaign spending in USAC elections, but the USAC Election Board sets certain voluntary spending caps ranging from $400 to $600 per candidate, based on the office for which they are running.
Last year, just two of 23 candidates signed onto the voluntary spending limit agreement, and the majority of candidates spent at least a hundred dollars more than the suggested caps. Similar to this year’s elections, the candidates who adhered to the voluntary limits last year ran unopposed for different commissions.
Compiled by Amanda Schallert, Bruin senior staff.
