The USA Elections Board issued six disqualification notices to candidates in the Undergraduate Students Association Council elections this 2026-27 cycle, even though some were later revoked.

[Related: General representative candidate marks fourth USAC election disqualification]

Over the years, candidates have been disqualified or banned from campaigning for breaking outlined codes of conduct. While regulations are important to ensuring the democratic process, USAC and the Elections Board should clarify and simplify the 54 pages of election code to avoid unnecessary disruptions to the democratic process.

This year, the USA Judicial Board cited five infractions, two of which included using an unapproved profile picture and lack of a Linktree disclaimer, as its reason for banning an internal vice presidential candidate from campaigning. It also briefly disqualified a general representative candidate for spending $8.20 more than the $200 personal-spending campaign expenditure limit. The judicial board reinstated her two days later, citing the elections board inconsistently applied spending requirements across candidates.

Rules on general regulation alone span eight full pages of material. Rules on expenditures and fundraising spans another five full pages. There are 17 mentions of “social media” in the Election Code.

While regulations to prevent candidates from campaigning in students’ living spaces or gaining an unfair financial advantage are necessary, minor infractions like unapproved emojis on social media posts hurt more than they help.

When the elections board places the focus on adhering to countless minuscule rules, candidates are unable to broaden their reach and take advantage of the campaigning period. Campaigning determines who student voters consider and ultimately vote for, and must be fair across candidates to ensure the public is informed about all ideas.

[Related: USA Judicial Board confirms IVP candidate cannot campaign]

There were 97 “Notice of Findings” reports made by the elections board following alleged election code violations. The violations were alleged anonymously.

The elections board also barred a presidential candidate from campaigning this year because a person working on the candidate’s campaign filed complaints against other campaigns and claimed to be unaffiliated. The judicial board later shortened the campaigning ban after ruling the elections board was too harsh.

[Related: Total campaign ban for USAC presidential candidate lifted despite violations]

The elections board must simplify the code of conduct to prevent inequitable access and structure equal campaigns. Instead of minute details, it should focus on prohibiting actions that cause harm or disruption, such as unfairly using institutional resources or spreading misinformation about other candidates.

Only then will candidates be able to exercise more creativity in their campaigning strategies and campaign on an equal playing field.

The focus should be on the candidates, not on trivial paperwork.