Don’t Let Them Throw Out Our Votes! Oppose The Gagging Of The Students! Stand With Us This Wednesday!
Yesterday, Thursday, May 22, the De Anza student body Elections Committee confirmed a financial grievance against the United Students Coalition.
In filling out their election campaign budget report, USC made a mistake and left $3 out of their financial assessment.
The elections committee ruled that this constituted “premeditated” theft of school funds and plan to punish USC by discarding 10% of votes cast for them.
A 3% victory is considered a “landslide” in DASB elections. No candidate has ever beaten another by more than 5%. The discarding of 10% of USC’s votes is therefore an effective disqualification from the race.
The De Anza Student Senate is supposed to be modeled on the United States Congress and other republican forms of administration. However, when American candidates, or candidates in other countries, are convicted of electoral fraud, they are punished financially or criminally. No one has ever had an arbitrary number of their votes discounted, because that would be completely undemocratic. This decision by the DASB Election Committee is a slap in the face to everyone who voted in the recent DASB elections, for USC or any other candidate or bloc.
We have one more chance to appeal to overturn this decision. Students for Justice entreats any and all De Anza students to attend the Senate meeting this Wednesday, May 28, at 3:00 PM, in the De Anza Senate Hall (which is in the bottom floor of the Campus Center, better known as the cafeteria building) to stand in protest against this ludicrous, undemocratic maneuver. We will be making signs ahead of time, at a time and place to be posted here when it is decided. Everyone is invited to make their own signs, too! Please stand with us!
Friday, May 23rd, 2008
