The Election Board recently received multiple election complaints pertaining to a posting for Genevieve Okoro’s Senate candidacy that was pinned to a bulletin board in the main lobby of Erickson Hall. The complaints alleged violations of the following election rule:
Rule 18: “Campaigning in the residence community is restricted by Residential Life policies, which are designed to ensure a comfortable living environment for residential students, in addition to the following instructions. Door-to-door solicitation, including knocking on residents’ doors, is prohibited. No posted advertising (except on a resident’s door by the residents themselves) or residential mailbox ads by individual candidates are permitted in the residential community. Postings and mailbox ads are permitted if they are sponsored by the SGA Election Board and include all candidates’ information. Furthermore, active campaigning is not permitted in residential facilities and True Grit’s; only passive campaigning is allowed in these locations.”
After careful review of the complaint and 2026 Election Rules, the Election Board agreed that this posting was a violation and opened an investigation. They were unable to confirm who put the posting on Erickson Hall’s bulletin board. As a result, no individual sanction can be administered.
On behalf of the Election Board, communications were shared with multiple UMBC professional staff members—including the Dean of Students, Executive Director for Residential Life, Erickson Hall Community Director, and Assistant Director for Residential Education for Staff Training & Development— updating them on the Election Rules connected to SGA campaigning in residential halls. They removed the posting and indnicated that they will sensitize residential staff to SGA’s Election Rules.
The Election Board would like to extend thanks to the individuals who filed this complaint without taking any direct action on their own to remove this posting. Your trust in the system and willingness to let the Election Board decide next steps are highly appreciated.
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.