Freshman student-government candidates thought that popular networking site facebook.com would be a good campaigning tool.
It may have been, but it also led to the highest number of election-cycle violation charges in the past four years.
At the close of voting yesterday, Colleen Donovan, the grievance officer for the Nominations and Elections Committee, brought 18 violations against 14 students for campaigning before Sept. 20, the first day it was permitted.
Every single violation was attributed to either a group or a message on the Facebook.
NEC Vice Chairman of Elections and College senior Eli Hoffman said that Donovan, a College sophomore, "has a reasonable belief that a violation may have occurred and that the decision should be left up to the NEC as a whole," at a hearing that will occur Sunday at 4 p.m. in Logan Hall.
Candidates and NEC members alerted Donovan to the alleged violations.
Although the NEC's Fair Practices Code does not mention the Facebook explicitly, it forbids early campaigning.
The code states that "only during [the official campaigning period] may candidates and their surrogates actively promote their candidacies by campaigning. Any act, process, or publication which may solicit votes is considered campaigning."
Given this definition, some candidates feel that the NEC is justified in charging them with violations.
"It was an innocent error. ... If they want to disqualify me, I'd understand. It is said you can't get your name out there early," class president candidate and College freshman Steve Martucci said.
He was charged with a violation for creating a Facebook group entitled "I am voting for Steve Martucci and Ricky Walters for Freshman Class Boards."
College freshman Dan Tavana, who is also running for class president, said that he felt the NEC was only doing its job by watching the election closely.
"But bringing up 18 violations for such a ridiculous thing, it's out of control," he said.
He was charged with two violations: one for a Facebook group he says was created by his friend called "Dan Tavana for class of 2009 president" and another for a Facebook message posted by a friend.
He said that his friend created the group without his knowledge.
The NEC charged College freshman Wilson Tong with a violation for a supportive message as well.
"It's not actively campaigning. I didn't tell the person to do it," Tong said.
He added that he feels confident he will have a compelling argument to defend himself because, he said, he did not actively campaign before the legal date.
Despite the charges, Hoffman said that more than 1,600 freshmen voted, amounting to 62 percent of the freshman class -- a record number for the last decade.
During Sunday's hearing, Donovan will present the charges, and candidates will have the chance to defend themselves.
Then, the parties involved will answer questions posed by the NEC and the general public. Afterward, the NEC will deliberate on all of the charges.
The NEC will then announce the outcome of the cases, followed by the winners of the election.
Martucci said that, even if the NEC disqualified him, he will not feel like he lost. "I met a lot of amazing people campaigning. ... I win either way."
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