The Associated Student Body Judicial Council met Tuesday night after receiving a campaign violation report against ASB presidential campaign candidate Jessica Brouckaert.
Austin Vitale, manager for Channing Lansdell’s campaign, and Zach Gregory, manager for Davis Rogers’s campaign, filed a violation report on Feb. 5. The report stated that Brouckaert was asking for votes through social media before the allotted campaign time.
The report was first brought before the Election Council on Sunday. The council found Brouckaert guilty and fined her $125. Brouckaert then appealed the decision, taking it to the Judicial Council Tuesday.
The Judicial Council unanimously agreed to uphold the Election Council ruling.
In a report from the ASB Justice Department, the Judicial Council recognized that while it is legal to ask for campaign support prior to an election, it is a violation to ask for votes before the campaigns begin.
Rogers released a statement concerning the hearing.
“It is unfortunate that this happened, especially before the campaign started,” Rogers said. “We are confident that this is not an indication on how campaigning will go. We look forward to presenting our platform and working on uniting our Ole Miss family.”
Vitale also spoke on behalf of Lansdell’s campaign saying that Brouckaert’s actions gave her an unfair advantage in the campaign.
“Our campaign team’s first goal is to observe all of the rules and regulations relevant to ASB elections,” Vitale said. “We felt that these actions gave an unfair advantage by campaigning before the allotted campaign time began. Such a blatant disregard for the rules governing the election threatens the process that students depend on to select a candidate with their best interests in mind. We are committed to ensuring the students don’t lose the opportunity they deserve: an equal opportunity to have their voices heard by university officials.”
Brouckaert said she will move past the hearing and continue with her campaign.
“I’m running this campaign because I love the university, and I want to continue serving the Associated Student Body,” Brouckaert said. “This is just a bump in the road. We’re going to move past it. We’re going to continue strong with the campaign and hope everything goes well.”
