Two Student Government candidates were listed in a reported election violation during the current StuGov election cycle, according to the StuGov general election website.
Brody Kuhse, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering and a candidate for president, and Nolan Klemesrud, a senior majoring in marketing and a candidate for StuGov vice president, were named as suspects in the violation.
The alleged violations cite sections 8.8.4 and 8.12.4 of the Election Code. Section 8.8.4 prohibits “excessive, repeated, unsolicited messages on email, group chats, direct messages or other electronic means,” according to the document.
Section 8.12.4 prohibits harassing another campaign, including candidates, campaign staff, affiliates, endorsers or voters, according to the document.
At this time, the allegations remain under review, and no determination has been made regarding whether a violation occurred.
According to Santiago Fajardo Cassab, a senior majoring in political science and the election commissioner, the complaint is still in its early stages.
“We became aware of the violation complaint last night, and the case is still under review,” Fajardo Cassab said. “The Violations Committee of the Election Commission has not yet reviewed the evidence. The Student Government website will be updated if the Violations Committee decides to move forward with a hearing or dismiss the case. I would like to emphasize that no one has been found guilty of a violation of the Election Code.”
According to the violating listing, the report has been filed, though the name of the filer has not yet been released. And a hearing date, time and location have not been announced, and no ruling has been made as of publication.
In a statement provided by the Kuhse and Klemesrud campaign, the candidates disputed the characterization of the alleged conduct and emphasized their compliance with election procedures.
“Our campaign would encourage voters to consider the legitimacy of these claims and does not believe that requesting to speak with an organization should be considered harassment. Communication was seized as soon as election commission protocol was followed in discontinuing contact, and our campaign still hopes to support this organization in any way possible despite excessive claims made. Harassment is a very serious issue, and we believe that libelous or politically motivated smear campaigns should have no place in student government elections.”
