The election board ruled on April 7 to bar two slates, One Oregon and Duck Squad, from campaigning. Both campaigns are fighting to overturn the rulings before elections end.
Here’s the breakdown:
One Oregon is suspended from campaigning for bribery from Friday April 8 to 14
The election board charged One Oregon with bribery on two separate incidents.
The election board received a grievance from I’m with UO on April 6 suggesting One Oregon had attempted to exchange money for Lambda Chi Alpha members’ support.
Upon the request for more “substantial evidence,” members of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity testified in person on April 7, confirming One Oregon tried to bribe them in exchange for their support, according to the rulings.
The election board ruled to bar One Oregon from campaigning on April 8 and 11 (if the campaign advanced to a runoff election).
The election board extended the suspension to April 14 after obtaining evidence that One Oregon was giving out pizza to students in exchange for votes in Global Scholars Hall on April 7.
The ruling states that handing out a gift, in this case pizza, in exchange for students’ votes is a “severe campaign violation.” One Oregon also violated Residence Hall rules by campaigning inside a residence hall.
Constitution court did not grant One Oregon an injunction on the rulings, banning it from campaigning today and April 11. However, the sanctions barring One Oregon from campaigning April 12 to 14 have been stayed, Chief Justice Thomas Bush said. Constitution court will meet today to further review the allegation.
One Oregon campaign manager Amy Laube did not comment on the rulings made by the election board.
Duck Squad is barred from campaigning April 8 and 11 for violating Residence Hall rules
Upon evidence and reports from RAs, Residence Life Coordinator Janine Silvis and members of Housing professional staff, the election board ruled that Duck Squad volunteers have authorized campaigning in residence halls on multiple occasions.
The election board can rule on incidents if substantial evidence is gathered, according to election rules.
On April 5, the election board received emails from Housing pro staff Brittany Nefcy reporting on Duck Squad campaigning in Dunn of Hamilton Hall and Schafer of Walton Hall. Flyers were found under every resident’s door, the email said. Residents, who informed Housing of the situation, said that “the campaigner was not a resident and [they] felt unsafe about how the campaigner got into the hall.”
On April 6, Residence Hall Coordinator Quinn Benson reported Duck Squad flyers were hung on students’ room doors in Clark of Walton Hall. The flyers were removed immediately, the email said.
1:43 p.m. April 7, Duck Squad was reported to be “getting in the way of folks’ paths from their homes to campus” by campaigning in front of Living-Learning Center. Residence Hall Coordinator Janine Silvis informed Duck Squad volunteers that they were on housing ground, off-limits to campaigns.
2:47 p.m. April 7, senator and RA Max Burns, who endorsed I’m with UO, reported to Silvis that Duck Squad flyers were found in front of each resident’s room in Barnhart Hall.
6:20 p.m. April 7, Duck Squad was reported to be taping flyers to doors in Global Scholars Hall. When asked to leave by RAs, Duck Squad volunteers said a person named Fatouma gave them permission. No students or university staff named Fatouma could be found on UO Find People.
The election board ruled to bar Duck Squad from campaigning on April 8 and 11.
In an email response to the allegations, Duck Squad campaign manager Vickie Gimm said Duck Squad has never instructed its volunteers to leave flyers in residence halls. She also criticized the election board’s lack of evidence against Duck Squad upon ruling.
“I would advise to dismiss this report because there is no evidence that it was a Duck Squad affiliate, if anything it could have been an opponent trying to sabotage us,” Gimm said in an email response to the election board.
When talking with the Emerald, Gimm said the ruling is not objective or fair.
“I’m disappointed and confused,” Gimm said. “In my personal opinion, [the] election board is biased because I criticized [it] of not following the election rules in a timely manner.”
Constitution court did not grant Duck Squad an injunction.