SGA Election Rule Violation Complaint

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 12:00:57 -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 stated that the Farris/Korie candidates were “for a Finance Board that works for student orgs, not against them”. The complaint alleged violations of the following election rules:

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 of the complaint and 2025 election rules, the Election Board did not find any evidence of rule-breaking. The Election Board voted to dismiss this complaint. While the phrasing of the bullet point may lead one to infer student organizations may not be receiving adequate support, it is not a false statement of fact or discrediting any of the candidates, rather it would be a statement of opinion. In this instance, the Election Board voted that this statement is protected under Rule 12's language that states "true statements and statements of opinion or intention are welcome except when they violate UMBC rules."

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.