After weeks of delay and deliberation, the FUSE campaign won the IU Student Government presidential election after the IUSG Supreme Court affirmed the disqualification of the UNITED campaign for violations related to election telecommunications rules.
UNITED won the popular vote with 49.26% of the vote, while FUSE came in second with 38.52%.
The decision comes after 19 complaints were filed against the two campaigns for various election rule violations. The UNITED campaign was issued 31 penalty points by the IUSG election manager from the complaints; however, the UNITED campaign appealed the decision of two complaints to the IUSG Supreme Court. The court determined that the original ruling of complaint 13 would be upheld, which is equivalent to 20 penalty points.
10 penalty points leads to a disqualification.
FUSE president elect Cooper Tinsley and vice president elect Nicole Santiuste will be inaugurated as student body president and vice president at 7 p.m. Thursday in Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union. The inauguration will take place 10 days after its original scheduled date.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who supported us throughout this campaign,” the FUSE campaign said in a statement to the IDS. “Your belief in FUSE and our goals has been incredibly inspiring and motivating. We also thank the Election Commission and the Supreme Court for their diligent work.”
“We look forward to stepping into our new roles and continuing our work in championing an inclusive and supportive campus environment. This accomplishment is not just ours. It's a testament to the power of our collective voice and the strength of our shared vision for a better campus experience.”
The campaign encouraged students to join Thursday’s inauguration celebration and apply to the administrations cabinet positions.
The UNITED campaign responded to the ruling in a statement to the IDS.
“Once again it has been shown that student government isn’t for the students,” the statement read. “We are disappointed by the decision of the Court to actively contribute to the failure to stand by the fundamental principles of democratic institutions as they continue to disintegrate the integrity of our elections. 49.26% of casted votes and 1840 voters are being ignored. This is authoritarian.”
UNITED wrote in their statement they were unfairly punished for their election violations, which include sending five GroupMe messages without an opt-out option and sending two campaign emails without BCCing recipients, according to the IUSG Supreme Court’s final decision. UNITED wrote previous campaigns sent GroupMe messages but were not disqualified. The Court acknowledged this in its decision but still determined that GroupMe messages constitute text messages and should also be subject to strict regulations to avoid over-campaigning.
“These past uncounted-for violations, however, play no role in the determination of this case,” the Court wrote. “Had any of these past offenses been presented before the Court, we assert that, at the very least, this current makeup of justices would have reached a similar conclusion.”
UNITED’s statement also claimed that the FUSE campaign’s victory resulted from undue influence from current and former IUSG members including former student body president Aaliyah Raji.
In their statement, UNITED incorrectly claimed Raji and former student body president Ky Freeman appointed most of the justices of the IUSG Supreme Court. However, most justices took office during Freeman’s and former student body president Kyle Seibert’s presidencies. According to IUSG’s Constitution, Congress must also confirm all appointments to the court.
Raji said she did not appoint any justices. She said previous student body presidents appointed justices, and she only signed bills from Congress that confirmed the appointments.
The FUSE campaign responded to UNITED’s claims in a statement to the IDS.
“Our sole objective in challenging campaign methods was to pursue a fair and just election,” the statement read. “Disqualifications occur strictly due to violations of IUSG bylaws and university policies, not due to any bias. We are committed to moving forward and serving all students, regardless of who they voted for. FUSE is eager and prepared to begin our work to improve student life and foster a campus of belonging and unity.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article included a full statement from the UNITED campaign that included several false or misleading statements about current and former members of IUSG. The statement has been removed, and their claims’ inaccuracies have been clarified. The IDS regrets the error.
