Election board renews decision of no sanction after judicial board order

This post was updated June 4 at 11:00 a.m.

The Undergraduate Students Association Council Election Board announced Friday that it will not issue any sanction against candidates found guilty of voter coercion.

The USAC Election Board findings in Sanction Case 59 state that Election Board Chair Jack Price ruled out disqualification as a penalty because he found there was a lack of direct evidence to verify the allegations of voter coercion. Although the majority of the USAC Election Board Ad-hoc Investigations Committee disagree with Price and maintain that disqualification would be a reasonable sanction, the board did not issue a sanction against Bella Martin, who was elected general representative, according to the findings.

The USAC Judicial Board ordered the USAC Election Board in Order 18-4 to issue a reasonable sanction for attempted voter coercion in Sanction Case 59, which ultimately stated that Martin and Victoria Solkovits, Bruins United candidates, engaged in voter coercion.

The council then voted to override the judicial board’s decision to not review Petition 18-6, which alleged the election board failed to carry out its duties by not issuing a sanction in Sanction Case 59.

Following the adjudication of Petition 18-6, the judicial board restated their order to issue a reasonable sanction and added the election board should specifically denote a “sanctions” section in their findings.

The order also stated that issuing no sanction would be in accordance with Order 18-4 so long as the Election Board believes that no sanction is reasonable given that the voting period had ended.

Price recommended the incoming council reprimand incoming Bruins United council members and consider reforming voter coercion protocol in future elections.