The Election Board recently received an election complaint against the statements made by Sedat Sefik in his “All Election Candidates” bio on SGA’s webpage where he stated he has been involved with SGA “as a Finance Board member and First-Year Ambassador.” The complaint alleged violations of the following election rule:
Rule 13. “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 found the complaint to be valid related to the alleged Rule 13 violation on the grounds that, while candidate Sefik has shadowed Finance Board in his role as an SGA FYA in Fall of 2024, he has never been a member of SGA Finance Board.
In response to the violation, the Election Board has decided to move forward with the following sanctions:
- Candidate Sefik’s “All Election Candidates” bio on SGA’s webpage has been updated to read that he has been “involved with SGA as a First-Year Ambassador.” Candidate Sefik is able to request additional edits if they meet with the approval of the Election Board.
- The posting of an acknowledgement of the misleading statement on candidate Sefik’s social media spaces, which must first be submitted to the Election Board for approval. The statement must be approved and posted by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, April 8th, 2026.
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 Sunday, April 19th-- whichever is earliest.
Thank you.