“Nominal fine” was the catchphrase for the UF Student Government election violation hearings Thursday and Monday.
Gator Party raked in 17 violations total: 16 violations for $5 each, plus one $20 nominal fine, totaling $100 in violations fines. A nonpartisan SG elections commission comprised of UF law students found Inspire Party was only found guilty of one.
Student Body President-elect Trevor Pope, who ran with Gator Party, announced his candidacy on his fraternity’s website and solicited support outside of election season, which the commission deemed as a violation. Gator was punished with a $20 fine.
The message mentioned that “Recent winning campaigns have cost upwards to twenty thousand dollars,” which Inspire said was far more than they ever spent on their campaign and proved that Gator had a financial advantage.
That financial advantage means that the $5 fine isn’t enough to hold Gator accountable, Inspire representative Ashley Grabowski said during the hearing. She recommended disqualification as a punishment.
“I think it often is more of a cop-out than an honest answer for why decisions are being made,” Grabowski said in an interview after the hearing.
Despite their recent resignations from Inspire, former party presidents Zachary Amrose and Ben Lima represented Inspire during the hearings along with Grabowski.
Jeremy O’Brien Murillo, a former independent write-in candidate for the student honor code chancellor, was accused of distributing “I voted” stickers during the election. The commission said that action violated SG rules, which states that only the supervisor of elections and those delegated can distribute stickers.
As a punishment, O’Brien Murillo was banned from participation in SG for the next calendar year.
Despite Inspire denying any current affiliation with O’Brien Murillo or any participation in his sticker distribution, including a signed affidavit from him and the party’s president, the commission still determined he was affiliated with Inspire.
O’Brien Murillo was a member of Inspire’s campaign in Fall 2017, but said he has had no role in the party since then. The commission mentioned his prior involvement, frequent Facebook posts supporting the party and wearing Inspire clothes while deciding on his affiliation.
The commission gave Inspire a permanent injunction, or formal order, requiring the party to not distribute “I voted” stickers as part of O’Brien Murillo’s punishment. But this is already a requirement under election rules.
O’Brien Murillo said he plans to appeal that decision by working with groups that advocate for free speech.
This semester, Gator also received multiple violations related to posting online political advertisements incorrectly.
Inspire asked the commission to punish them more harshly, like requiring a public apology or a plan to fix problems moving forward. In the Fall, Gator had to write a plan to prevent themselves from getting violations stemming from canvassing on campus in addition to minimal fees.
Inspire faced losing its majority in the Senate when Gator filed an election violation last Fall. It claimed that Inspire sent an ad over email on election day which warranted disqualification.
The UF Supreme Court eventually found the email was not a violation.
After the final elections meeting, Gator representatives did not answer questions from The Alligator. Katie Hernandez, Gator campaign manager, and Branden Pearson, a representative for Gator during the hearing, both texted the following statement:
“Gator Party is dedicated to ensuring a fair election and supports the Election Commission’s authority as outlined in the codes. We look forward to validating the election results at tonight’s senate meeting, as it is a reflection of the student’s hope for a better student government,” they wrote.
Kaelyn Cassidy contributed to this report.
Contact Chasity Maynard at cmaynard@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @chasitymaynard0.
