ASUNM campaign tactics questioned

The BAM! slate for ASUNM Senate was victorious Wednesday night, but their campaigning tactics are being questioned by their opponents.

All 10 slots open for the undergraduate student government were filled by the BAM! slate, which is rare, said Travis Maestas, who ran on the Bridge slate.

“There’s been a lot of surprise, not only from friends but from people that I work with or people that I’m acquainted with that knew we were running,” he said. “They were really thrown off guard because it’s something that no one really expected to happen.”

Maestas said the Bridge slate is contesting the election because of campaigning violations made by the BAM! slate. He said the BAM! slate campaigned within 25 feet of polling locations and inside of polling locations, which is against ASUNM rules.
“We have witnesses of some of their campaign workers campaigning in Johnson Center in one of the classrooms there,” Maestas said. “So, there were a lot of infractions where candidates or campaign volunteers crossed those boundaries.”

Brian Moore, chairman of the ASUNM Election Commission, said the Wednesday elections saw a record turnout of about 1,270 student voters. This is up from 981 in 2008 and 603 in 2005.

Moore said an open trial will be held Sunday to determine if there is any truth to the Bridge slate’s accusations. He said the ASUNM Election Commission members will hear testimony from BAM! and Bridge slate members.

Typically, senators only receive suspended voting rights for a few ASUNM meetings as a penalty for violating campaign codes, he said.

BAM! slate member Lazaro “Laz” Cardenas said anyone has the right to contest the election, and he doesn’t know what will happen at the trial on Sunday.

“I feel like we ran this as clean as we could,” Cardenas said. “There were also some infractions that they had that we could have pointed out. … So whatever will come of it, will come of it.”

Cardenas said he was also surprised that his entire slate was voted into Senate.
“I was definitely surprised, but in retrospect, we worked really hard and we were really organized,” he said. “Everyone had that passion. In the short amount of time they have to interact with the students, you either get them or you don’t.”

Maestas said the students on the Bridge slate will only receive a seat on Senate if current Senate members resign. Maestas received the most votes in his slate, at 417, which was only nine votes away from winning. He is next in line for a Senate position if someone resigns.

“I’ve heard talk that there might be a couple people who are currently in Senate right now that might be resigning for class conflicts or other personal reasons,” Maestas said.