SGA Election Rule Violation Complaint

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 15:44:34 -0400

The Election Board recently received an election complaint against the Jaden Farris/Praise Korie Presidential campaign in reference to a social media post that was published by the Farris/Korie campaign in which they reposted an individual's post that stated that the Farris/Korie candidates were the "only pro-Palestinian" candidates. The complaint alleged violations of the following election rules:

Rule 9. “Candidates are responsible for any actions taken on their behalf by people who could reasonably believe that they are acting with the candidate’s approval. If the candidate is aware that somebody intends to violate an election rule to promote the candidate’s campaign, the candidate is required to intervene to prevent the violation.”

Rule 12: “Making false statements of fact to promote or discredit a candidate orally, visually, or in writing, or misleading people about the voting process, either intentionally or because the person making the statements did not take reasonable steps to verify their accuracy, is prohibited. True statements and statements of opinion or intention are welcome except when they violate UMBC rules. Infractions involving false statements about an opposing candidate or intentionally misleading people about the voting process will be considered especially serious violations.”

After careful review, the Election Board has dismissed the complaint related to the alleged Rule 9 violation, on the grounds that it was not relevant. The individual post was made on a personal account, which is private, and the individual was seemingly acting in an independent manner from the campaign.

Though the Election Board has dismissed the complaint related to Rule 9, due to the Farris/Korie presidential ticket reposting the language to their shared campaign account, when discussing Rule 12, the Election Board referred to the candidates’ own actions and decision to use the personal post as campaign material on their own social media account.

While investigating this complaint, the Election Board found corroborating evidence supporting the breach of Rule 12. The Election Board found that the statement referring to the Farris/Korie ticket as “the only Pro-Palestinian candidates” is false, as there is proof other candidates have spoken on the subject. Election Board members witnessed a candidate give a statement on the topic at an Election related event on April 1, 2025. This language of “only” makes the statement inaccurate, and could falsely discredit other candidates. The Election Board found the candidates on the presidential ticket therefore did not take “reasonable steps” to verify the accuracy of the statement they reposted. The absence of a statement on a particular topic by a candidate does not, according to the Election Board, equate to being able to determine if a candidate holds a particular position on the topic.

In a statement of response to the complaint from the Farris/Korie campaign, the candidates did not provide compelling evidence that they took “reasonable steps” to determine the positions of other campaigns so that they could come to the conclusion that their campaign was the “only” campaign with a particular stance.

In response to the violation, the Election Board has decided to move forward with the following sanctions:

1. A temporary suspension of all campaigning by Jaden Farris and Praise Korie, as well as any and all representatives. The prohibition applies to all forms of campaigning as outlined in the Election Rules. Any campaign materials already posted or displayed, such as flyers or iNet displays, are able to remain in place. The two candidates and their representatives may resume campaigning no earlier than 12 pm ET on Thursday, April 17th, 2025.

2. Required removal of the post and the inaccurate language from their social media.

3. The posting of a retraction , which must be first submitted to the Election Board for approval by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, April 15th, 2025.

The Election Board is aware of how this could be polarizing, and we wish to assure the student body that these sanctions are not due to the topic of the statement, but rather its inaccuracy, and impact on other candidates. Candidates are welcome to speak on political and human rights issues, as it is an inherent right, but they should not inaccurately state that they are the only ones to hold said opinion.

The Election Board wants to reiterate that any student who believes that they have witnessed an Election Rules violation should report a complaint to the Election Board, remembering that complaints must be filed by 48 hours after an alleged violation is discovered OR by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 18th-- whichever is earliest.

Thank you.