We are writing this letter in response to the current state of the 2016 Associated Students of the University of Arizona elections. Currently, there is no executive vice president-elect. This is due to the disqualification of candidate Trey Cox on account of five strikes for violating the Elections Code. The candidate was notified of his disqualification Wednesday evening prior to the results being shown. During the results showing, the elections commission announced that candidate Trey Cox received 65.99 percent of the votes while candidate Stefano Saltalamacchia received 34.01 percent of the votes.
Per the ASUA Elections Code, upon a disqualification, a candidate has 24 hours to appeal the decision. Candidate Trey Cox did file to appeal the decision and has received a decision from the elections commission. The disqualification and the five strikes have been overturned. However, there remain multiple possibilities for the outcome of this election with regards to the executive vice president seat.
Firstly, candidates, including Trey Cox, will have an opportunity to appeal the decision of the commission to the ASUA Supreme Court. We would then await that decision to know how to proceed. There may be a variety of outcomes, including a Special Election, the standing of results (and validation or rejection of the disqualification), and, or further findings that may result in an entirely unexpected ruling. We will have to wait and see.
There have been multiple claims of harassment throughout the process.
Due to these events, as newly elected executives and active ASUA members, we want to make it clear that we do not accept harassment of any kind from either candidate or their supporting groups. There is a process in place to ensure a fair and just response to both candidates.
When initiating the elections process, both candidates were made aware and submitted a signed document affirming their understanding of the Elections Code and their binding to it in this process. Section 5-3.01 clearly states, “Verbal or physical harassment or intimidation of other candidates or adherents will not be tolerated. Such behavior will result in a strike or automatic disqualification and referral to the Dean of Students office for a potential code of conduct violation pursuant of letter F (Prohibited Conduct) of the Student Code of Conduct.”
We respect the process and will watch to see what unfolds. We ask the UA student body, members of ASUA, members of both campaign’s teams and the candidates themselves to respect the process and give both sides the chance to be represented and heard. As you all know, our country and our student government lay a fair system guided by checks and balances. This process is no exception. It is the goal of ASUA to give every student a voice. With that in mind, we anxiously await to see the final result of this process.
We appreciate the patience and understanding from the student body as we go through this process. Thank you for your time.
Tatum Hammond is the newly re-elected administrative vice president and a junior studying English and visual communications. Mikey Finnegan is the current chief of staff and president-elect and a junior studying philosophy, politics, economy and law.
