Team CSG appeals election results

Greg Radisic
Image supplied by: Journal File Photo
Greg Radisic

Three days after their defeat in the AMS executive election by a close margin of 0.6 per cent, Team CSG filed an official appeal to the AMS Judicial Committee on the results of the elections.

According to an AMS press release on Thursday evening, George Collister, the Chair of the AMS Judicial Committee, “received a complaint from Colin Zarzour of Team CSG to appeal several decisions of the Elections Team that were made during the 2016 AMS Executive Elections.” 

Through the appeal, Team CSG sought to disqualify the newly-elected Team LWT. 

“Given the significance of overturning the results of the election, with no opportunity for further appeal by Team LWT, the Judicial Committee set a very high standard requiring clear and compelling evidence that Team CSG had been treated unjustly,” Collister wrote in the press release.

According to documents obtained by The Journal, the appeal centred on alleged violations of AMS campaign policy by Team LWT, including the continued use of chalkboards after campaign period had ended, violations of rules surrounding the maximum number of posters permitted in Humphrey Hall and efforts to pressure students to vote for LWT. 

Team CSG’s submission then claimed that the AMS Elections Team had failed to rule on violations of policy, which it stated contributed to an “uneven playing field”. 

The AMS Judicial Committee held an appeal hearing, which took place on Feb. 3. Members of Team CSG — Colin Zarzour, Sarah Anderson and Greg Radisic — were represented by former AMS President Allison Williams while Chief Electoral Officer Simone Markus and Chief Returning Officer Rebecca Herweyer represented the Elections Team.

After a review of the appeal, the AMS Judicial Committee denied Team CSG’s claims. It’s unclear at the moment why the appeal was rejected. 

Although it was public hearing, the AMS Judicial Committee failed to inform The Queen’s Journal as mandated in their policy. 

In a second press release, the AMS executive — Kanivanan Chinniah, Kyle Beaudry and Sarah Letersky — apologized for the oversight and said they take all procedural lapses very seriously.

“In the coming days, together with Jon Wiseman, Commissioner of Internal Affairs, we will engage in a thorough review of our processes to ensure that policy is adhered to at all times,” according to the joint statement.

The Journal will provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

Tags

#AMSvotes, AMS, team CSG, team LWT

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