The ASUA Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Elections Commission indefinitely naming Manny Felix the president of ASUA for 2015-2016.
Hannah Sager, a marketing junior, appealed the decision of the Elections Commission that deemed Felix’s disqualification invalid. Sager said she appealed the decision because she wanted to ensure the election was based on “honest” and “legitimate” results.
After Felix’s disqualification and subsequent requalification, Sager felt it was most appropriate for the Supreme Court to make the final decision. The Supreme Court, made up of five student justices, held a hearing on Sunday at the James E. Rogers College of Law where the argument of Sager v. ASUA Elections Commission was heard, according to a Supreme Court document on the Associated Students of the University of Arizona website.
After deliberation, the court affirmed the commission’s decision to discredit elections commissioner Diego Alvarez’s disqualification of Felix.
According to deputy elections commissioner Ali Gates, the Elections Commission was represented by a College of Law student; a law student also represented Sager.
Felix won the ASUA Presidential election against Sager by 238 votes, taking in 52.4 percent of the 4,406 votes.
Alvarez disqualified Felix on March 12 for allegedly violating chapter five, section three of the ASUA 2014-15 Elections Code. Felix appealed the disqualification that night, and the elections commission met immediately to review his appeal.
Gates said that all seven members of the commission met and decided that the disqualification did not meet the guidelines of filing a complaint in chapter five, section four, of the elections code.
The commission’s reasoning was based off of reviewing the elections code and making the right decision based on that, Gates said. He also said that the complaints made against Felix’s campaign were invalid because they did not meet the 48-hour time frame in which complaints must be made after a supposed violation. Sager then appealed the decision of the Elections Commission to take the case to the Supreme Court.
Felix said that he is glad the case has been resolved and, while he respected the entire process, he is happy the court understood he did everything in accordance with the code. Sager said that while she was disappointed by the results, she respects the Supreme Court and the process, and ultimately wants what is best for the student body. Sager said she will continue to work to serve students no matter what.
“I am very excited to finally get to work to ensure ASUA works for the students and, along with my executive team, ensure we keep the [UA] moving forward,” Felix said.
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