SPECIAL REPORT

[aggienaut]

CAL AGGIE NEWSPAPER CONDEMNS STUDENT FOCUS
(Additional Focite Party Member Implicated)


holy crap

Contextual timeline


In Other News
In other news, EMOSNAIL correspondants report that the entire student government of Occidental College was recently expelled for corruption.
While we're on the subject, our field reporters report that student politicians at UC Santa Cruz recieve stipends as "advisors" for the rest of their stay at UCSC once they have ceased to serve the ASUCSC gov't.

EMOSNAIL condemns the latter, leaves interpretation of the preceding two news items to our readers.

Discuss.

Comments

[revchad.livejournal.com]

I think we should expell about half of our senate for corruption. Now let the finger pointing begin, and the excuses fly!

[http://users.livejournal.com/squeak-/]

not to venture too far off topic, but your song choice considering the subject of this entry is...well, fitting.

Cocksparrer.

[emosnail.livejournal.com]

Its one of my favourite songs I must say.

Re: Cocksparrer.

[http://users.livejournal.com/squeak-/]

they are quite wonderful.

[shid.livejournal.com]

Wait, what the fucks the big deal? THey compaigned door to doo?

[codetoad.livejournal.com]

Freshmen are the easiest to influence and dorms are private property.

[shid.livejournal.com]

So are old people- but in real elections you're allowed to compaign in old folks homes.

This is much ado about nothing. From an outsiders point of view, you're all crazy

[codetoad.livejournal.com]

You're certainly not allowed to enter someone's apartment complex and campaign there. Entering the dorms is the same as entering a house, sorta, except everyone goes in there, so it's really just like a really big house, with hot girls (sometimes).

[codetoad.livejournal.com]

Also, the other candidates didn't campaign there because they knew it was against the rules. So it's also about that (aside from whether or not it should be okay to campaign there).

[shid.livejournal.com]

and just like in real life, people do.

Honestly, if they didn't go IN the dorms, they'd stand outside of them and get people as they walked in and out.

[codetoad.livejournal.com]

That would be fine. It's much easier to ignore someone like that as opposed to when they GO INTO your ROOM.

[shid.livejournal.com]

*tiny violin*

[codetoad.livejournal.com]

I know! Us crazzy college kids!!

[emosnail.livejournal.com]

now on a normal day I open my inbox to find one to three new comment notifications. Today I open it to find around TWENTY FOUR. (=

Go team.

[obisan69.livejournal.com]

Yes, but in ASUCD just as in real life, there are rules about how far you have to be from a polling place to campaign. Standing behind someone's shoulder and telling them who to vote for falls just a little inside that rule.

[emosnail.livejournal.com]

Standing behind someone while they vote and telling them who to vote for is voting fraud no matter how you look at it.

Also its really flagrant violation of soliciting in a no-soliciting area. I went door to door during city elections for Lamar Heystek, but I didn't touch any houses with "no soliciting" posted on them. "Real politicians" avoid that crap.

And finally is flagrant violation of the stated electoral rules. I don't care how random an election rule is, if its clearly stated and everyone else is following it in good faith, it is unethical to violate it.


DISCLAIMER: note that I have a position on whether or not current allegations are true. These arguments refer to no specific incident, rather "campaigning in the dorms during an ASUCD election" in general.

[emosnail.livejournal.com]

NOTE: that should read "I DO NOT have a position on..."

EMOSNAIL regrets the error.

[obisan69.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they go door to door in the dorms, and will actually stand there behind the freshman and "help" them vote. If that doesn't scream voter fraud, I don't know what does.

[shid.livejournal.com]

Wait, so there's no designed voter day or whatever- the freshman just get a card they can fill out anytime or something?

[codetoad.livejournal.com]

It's all done online and takes like 1 second. There's pictures next to the candidates and so forth.

[obisan69.livejournal.com]

Elections are entirely online for a period of 48 hours, so they can vote from any computer at any time during those two days.

[littlenick.livejournal.com]

I think you should pust this to the UCD community LJ group, just to make sure people see it

[emosnail.livejournal.com]

someone beat me to it.. at least in breaking the news of the editorial

[xtakenandhatedx.livejournal.com]

dorm rooms are like your house... you don't HAVE to have them inside it if you don't want. and you don't have to vote for them if you don't want, either! Might as well right down their name under the "asshole" colum, but the students being solicited should do something themselves, if they really care about their elections.

hell, i might be a freshman too, but telling someone to get out of your room doesn't take all that much courage, ya know?

[revchad.livejournal.com]

In national elections, you can be arrested for attepting to tell people how to vote at a polling place. You cannot campaign withing a given distance of a polling place during the elections.

The campus rules are mirroring those laws. The problem isn't soliciting in the dorms, it is doing so on elections night with the intent of pressuring voters as you watch them. It is against the rules for the same reason I can't stand behind you at a polling station and yell "Nader for President!"

[xtakenandhatedx.livejournal.com]

And obviously i agree that that rule should be in place. However, the student/person being harrassed needs to step up and say so... People can't expect a cop to come in an arrest him. I'm just saying that it should be the kid's job to recognize that and kid the lamer out.

[emosnail.livejournal.com]

But see its not just a crime against the freshman, its a crime against the other candidates who in good faith are refraining from the activity.

[revchad.livejournal.com]

Whisch is why I kept a baton in my dorm.

[emosnail.livejournal.com]

Or better yet: person with condoment coloured shirt bursts into room: "vote for [party x] today!" freshman: "I know you aren't allowed to do this. Give me $10 right now or I'm totally reporting you!"

A good way for freshmen to make a quick buck!