Candidates in USAC election disqualified
Six candidates in the Undergraduate Students Association Council election were disqualified Monday after they failed to turn in their mandatory campaign expense reports.
Jason Mizzell, Elections Board investigations chairman, said the disqualified candidates were internal vice president candidate Sheretta Thomas; general representative candidates Steve Sandoval and Elias Dabaie; Academic Affairs commissioner candidate Jennifer McGee; Campus Events commissioner candidate Eric Alvarez; and Community Service commissioner candidate Matthew de Lira. None of these candidates could be reached Monday evening for comment.
The candidates’ departure has halved the number of independent candidates and leaves the position of Community Service commissioner uncontested. Farheen Malik, an incumbent who is running for re-election as an independent, is the sole remaining candidate.
Voting in USAC elections begins tonight at 7 via MyUCLA.
Primary candidate expense reports were due Monday at 10 a.m. and required candidates to turn in copies of all campaign materials, original receipts for purchases and an itemized list of all campaign expenses, as well as a report of any donated materials, according to the Undergraduate Students Association Elections Code.
Candidates sharing expenses with members of a slate must report the total of shared expenses, as well as itemize their share.
The Elections Code also states that failure to submit a campaign expense account is grounds for disqualification from participating in USAC elections.
“It’s really sad, because I’d like to see everyone be part of the process,” said Troy Isaac, a third-year political science student running for president as an independent.
Due to Thomas’ disqualification, the position of external vice president will not go to a runoff election, as only two candidates remain.
Students First! external vice president candidate Tina Park, a third-year political science student, said this will not affect her campaigning, as she campaigns on behalf of her entire slate and will continue to do so until runoffs end May 18.
The E-Board has also sanctioned all eight members of the Students First! slate for publishing their slate’s Web site on the Internet prior to official notification of the board.
The Students First! candidates will be sanctioned from campaigning from 4:45 p.m. to 5 p.m. today, the first day candidates can distribute literature, during which time they cannot campaign or distribute fliers.
The E-Board also received a complaint that Thomas McKenna, a second-year aerospace engineering student running for Facilities commissioner with Slate Refund, was advertising his candidacy for a different position, Campus Events commissioner, on his Bruin Walk signboard.
While the board found that this is not a punishable violation, it expects McKenna to correct the mistake on his sign board by 10 a.m. today.

