2008 Woodie Awards
Candidate defies election regulation
Marissa Lang
Issue date: 3/28/08 Section: News
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Student Government Association rules state presidential hopefuls must all begin their campaigns on the same date, April 1, or pay a penalty charge, but Leydorf has no intention of forking over the fine. The independent candidate plans to fight what he sees as an unfair rule that puts students with little name recognition on the campus at a disadvantage.
"This rule doesn't benefit anyone," Leydorf said. "It stifles debate. In an election, we need to let the issues percolate."
The fine is $375 for individual candidates and $500 for parties who run on a ticket.
Leydorf decided to declare his candidacy last night as he, two friends and his campaign manager sat strategizing around a small table in the Baltimore room of Stamp Student Union. Unlike most presidential hopefuls, Leydorf is running as an
independent - a disadvantage he hopes to combat by putting his name out early.
If the SGA Elections Board officially finds Leydorf violated election rules and Leydorf refuses to pay the penalty, he could be disqualified from running, said Jeff Lasser, the board's chair.
SGA election bylaws state any "solicitation of votes through unwarranted communication" is outlawed until the date set by the SGA Elections Board. This includes setting up tables, distributing fliers, chalking sidewalks and posting signs - all of which Leydorf is planning to do.
"We have the moral high ground here," Leydorf said.
Leydorf is not the first in recent memory to violate the rule. The Diamondback outed Jahantab Siddiqui as a SGA presidential candidate last year before the official date. Siddiqui said he agrees the rule is unjust, calling it a violation of free speech.
"We're a public student government; if people want to campaign, they should be able to campaign for as long as they want to," Siddiqui said. "No one was telling Barack Obama he couldn't announce his candidacy before a certain date."
While unlike Leydorf, Siddiqui did not make the conscious decision to come out with his candidacy early, he made a political issue of the fine and vocally fought it. In the end, the SGA dropped the fine.
"The elections board didn't want to go through [the] governance board so they said, 'Lets just get it over with. F--- the fine,'" he said.
Leydorf said he will fight having to pay the penalty, which is about $500, through the appeals processes outlined by an appeal to the SGA Governance Board.
"The rule is not only unconstitutional, but it hurts the little guy," he said.
langdbk@gmail.com
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Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 7
It makes no sense
posted 3/28/08 @ 2:05 AM EST
You want this campaign to be about the issues? The only thing this has proven is that you think the rules don't apply to you and you think the student body cares about SGA rules. (Continued…)
Where was this student?
posted 3/28/08 @ 10:38 AM EST
Where was this student when the SGA was debating election rules? Publicly? For weeks?
This is akin to someone not voting and then complaining about who won. (Continued…)
B
posted 3/28/08 @ 2:57 PM EST
The real case to be made here is...
that the rule was a joke. Who would seriously require elections start on April Fools Day?
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